


Jacked Up

by ExtraCheesePlease



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-09
Updated: 2018-11-22
Packaged: 2019-06-05 06:46:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 30,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15164951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ExtraCheesePlease/pseuds/ExtraCheesePlease
Summary: Timothy Lawrence. A name unknown to anyone in the galaxy except to him and the doctor that deleted his existence on that day. The day that ruined his life and doomed him to serve the Infamous Hyperion CEO, Handsome Jack. Thinking all has been lost and that there's no salvation, until that day..





	1. Chapter 1

Being a personal assistant is tough work. Doing errands, attending meetings outside of Helios, those kinda things. Timothy only made it sound fancy in his head but it's just him being a slave to Handsome Jack. Timothy got screwed really bad with this, regretting life everytime he woke up on that space station. Not saying he'd rather be down there on Pandora or on Elpis, not really missing it on the moon after his last adventure, but at this point anywhere was better than here.

His constant reminder of his suffering, unfortunately it was the face of the psychopath he woke up to every morning. The sound of that psychopath. Everything. He wasn't him anymore and that alone made him feel even worse. Especially after everything that happened. Jack really did it with all the bloodshed. His ambition being crushed the moment he set his hands on what he truly wanted. Being there, seeing a man break down, lose everything and build himself up into the most dangerous man Pandora has ever seen. The look on his face alone sent shivers down Timothy's spine, it was nothing like he'd ever seen before. Like a switch being flipped and changing everything forever.

Tim stared at his reflection in the reflective glass on the door to Jack's office. He'd been summoned there and he knew it was going to be something lame that Jack doesn't wanna do. Since then, wanting-to-shoot-yourself-in-the-mouth-instead-of-going meetings were all reserved for the unfortunate body double.

"Ugh, come in"

Jack's unamused voice came from behind the massive doors keeping the two men apart. Tim waited for the doors to open so he could walk in.

"Good. You came. Boy, have I got something for you, kiddo"

Tim didn't say anything and made his way towards the desk of the Hyperion president, standing in front of it as he reached it. Jack squinted his eyes and leaned back in his large chair while glancing at his body double.

"What? Aren't you at least a little bit curious on what I have for you?"

"Yeah.. sure. What's up?"

"You should really work on your enthusiasm"

"I'm just tired. I haven't slept. This mask needs getting used to. I don't know why I need a mask, I mean.. my face.. didn't.."

Tim trailed off, not daring to look at Jack's face. Knowing he might've hit a nerve. He stepped back for his own safety.

"You're my body double. If I get a mask, you get a mask, pumpkin. It's simple as that. Wouldn't be much of a point if you didn't get a mask as well, right?"

Tim nodded, still keeping his eyes on the desk then back at his boss.

"Now, what I need you to do is go down on Elpis to meet a contact soon. He's got some important maps about some Eridium mining locations. It's a rookie deal but I got bigger fish to fry, we've got most of the Eridium mines secured so far. But if that one proves to be different.. I'm not taking my chances, who knows what we'll find under there. Maybe a Vault. Maybe a key. Either way, I'm not gonna pass this by. Go down there, get the map and shoot the guy if he does any wise crap. Or you know what? Shoot him after the deal is done, just to be sure no troubles follow. I got 3 million dollars for you. No more than that so don't get hustled"

Timothy finally raised his eyes to meet Jack's. He saw the look of the fate defying determination he had before opening the Vault.

"You got all that, kiddo?"

"Yeah.. I got that"

"Okay then. You're free to go"

Tim turned to leave but stopped when Jack cleared his throat.

"And don't blow this for me, you got that?"

Tim sucked in a breath but didn't turn around to face him.

"I..I got that too"

"Alright, get some decent sleep. Don't go there looking like someone who's been dead for years. Don't make me look bad"

Tim nodded and quickly made his way across the office to the door so he could exit and go to his room. He took the elevator down and it opened into the Hub of Heroism where it was crowded as always. People always seemed to lighten up whenever he had passed by. The "hey, how are yous" and the calling for Jack was just bothersome. They actually idolised Jack and wanted to be like him. Timothy sometimes thought about if they'd seen what he had seen, would it change their minds if even a little bit.

He sighed and entered his room, pressing the button behind him that locked the doors and fell face first on his bed. Groaning in pain because of the mask and unclipping it off to put on the nightstand. Tim sighed and rolled on his back, he was getting paid now but not as much as he wanted. But that was good, he thought. Only bad thing was that his contract lasts for a long time and that made his chest tighten. He raised his arm, looking at the button that summoned the Digi-Jacks and touched it gently with his finger before pressing it. He promised he wouldn't do that anymore but he felt the choking sense of loneliness and had no choice.

"Who needs a hero?"

One of them said while standing next to the bed. The other smiled.

"I do"

Timothy whispered and slowly closed his eyes.

******

He woke up like any other day, drenched in sweat, having dreams of both Jack and that Vault. He wiped some sweat from his forehead and wondered how the Vault could be his greatest uncredited achievement and also the cause of his nightmares. Sometimes he found himself thinking that if he didn't open the Vault, none of this would happen and Jack might've saved some of his sanity.

But who was he kidding? If he didn't do it, Jack would've dealt with him and let his Vault hunters do the rest of the job. Jack was a nightmare, true. People feared him. People hated him. But despite all that, there was some good in him towards his team, gifting each a specific reward for their efforts in finding the Vault for him. Not counting Athena considering she refused his money and disappeared right after but he did do right by her in the end.

Timothy wished he would've offered him the money instead but Jack gave him a position on Helios. An official body double to take on his duties with him. But Timothy knew what kind of duties he had on mind, the dangerous ones which he knew Jack would choose him before himself to handle and now Timothy feared for his life over the things that awaited him down on Elpis.


	2. The Down Under Bar

The night went by slowly as an insomniac Timothy watched his arm swing back and forth as he laid on the edge of his bed. With that hoping he'd manage to get some sleep but nothing came, with no sleep he knew that he'll look terrible when the deal did come to happen so avoiding Jack was his new plan. 

Timothy rolled on his back, glancing occasionally at his laser wrist gun which had the Digi-Jack button. He hated to admit, but those holograms were the only company he could have. Sometimes he wished they would last more. He moved his eyes to the ceiling, attempting to sleep but after a few tries he knew he couldn't sleep tonight. 

He got off the bed and walked over to the window. It had a view of Pandora's moon that Tim reluctantly looked down on, trying to push out the idea that he'd go down there. Alone. Looking back at his laser guns, he might not be so alone after all. It was just a quick deal, Tim said to himself. 

"I just have to go down there, do the deal and come up here. To.. take more of Jack's orders. Yippee.." 

Tim shook his head, there was no way this'll get better. He walked back to his bed and took out a box, opening it. It had only one pill inside that he swallowed with a gulp of water. 

"I'll need to get more of these pills or else I'll never sleep" 

He mumbled to himself as he laid down and finally managed to get some shut eye.

~~~~~~~~~

Haha, these little things look like Gortys' tiny mouth. It's friggin adorable!  
Okay, back to the story

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The alarm went off, sending panic into Tim who launched forwards with his eyes wide. He frantically looked around his room and covered his face with his hand when he didn't find anything. 

"It's just a dream. It's just a dream" 

He whispered to himself, trying to have a firm grasp on the present instead of the past. 

"You'll get past this, Tim. You will" 

His eyes travelled to his yellow Hyperion shirt that weighed in the heaviness of the present in his drowsy stomach that made him queasy. He rubbed his forehead and got up to have a shower. He moved his head so the water would come splashing down on his face. Trying to find comfort in it, because it might be the last one he has in a while. The water felt great. It was warm and it relaxed his body. Tim closed his eyes and smiled wearily at the feeling it gave him. Afterwards, he'd had to part with the amazing water. 

"I'll definitely miss you, shower head" 

Tim said to the shower head, definitely thinking he'd miss how the running water felt and stood in front of his mirror, looking at himself. He wasn't sure he was himself anymore. He remembered when the surgery was complete. How he stood in front of the mirror for a long time but didn't see himself. The doctor informed him it was for the best, the best apparently was being a copy of a megalomaniac lunatic. There was a knock on the door that Tim decided to ignore. But whoever was on the other side persisted. His eyes moved to the door and sighed heavily, wrapping a towel around himself. But then the door opened and Tim nervously grabbed his towel. Jack walked in with an annoyed look on his face and stopped to eye his body double from head to toe. 

"It's rude not to open to guests. It's good that I have keys to all the rooms so I don't have to wait for you idiots to open up. How's my favourite body double doing?" 

"Alright.. I guess" 

"Now get your nice ass over to Elpis"

Jack walked inside and sat down on the bed, looking around at his room. 

"Wow, look at this room. You live like you're a pig or something" 

"Uh.. Jack, now's... not the time?" 

"What? I didn't get that" 

Jack chuckled and waved a hand at Tim who decided it was wise not to reply to his question.

"Now's not the time? Why? Because you're naked? Anytime's the time to me, cupcake. Remember who I am. I get too chummy with you guys and you suddenly forget who's boss"

"Yes, yes. I'm sorry, sir" 

Tim nodded and looked down at his hand that was holding the towel. Jack grabbed Tim's face which made him grunt, moving it left and right. 

"You haven't been sleeping? Oh, great. Now I'll look like a crack head" 

Jack pushed Tim's face back and for a second there he nearly lost his grip on his towel. 

"I tell you people nicely to do things for me but you just DON'T DO IT" 

"I'm just.. having these nightmares a-about that V-.." 

"What was your name ag- Nevermind, I'll call you Jack. Okay, Jack, nightmares, huh? Do you want me to become your living nightmare? Huh?" 

"No, please don't.. " 

Tim slowly looked up at Jack's face, his expressions switched from annoyance to anger. 

"Get down on Elpis and do the deal and we'll handle the rest when you get back. And next time don't leave me hanging" 

Jack said, finally walking out but leaving the door open which made Tim slam the switch to close the door, wondering what miracle would happen so this could end. Tim frowned and looked back at the bed, the Hyperion shirt there. With a wave of anger, he grabbed it and threw it off the bed and into the ground.

"Psychopath! Asshole! Argh!" 

He yelled and knocked things off the nightstand and then kicked it. Tim sat down on the bed and covered his face with his hands, gulping hard. He'll never get rid of this. Never. 

Hearing that in his head made his resolve weaken. Maybe he was destined to be in this space station for the rest of his days. His contract would come to an end after a few years and then what? What would he go back to? Those questions lingered painfully in the back of his head. He was scared of the future.

But the future was coming regardless of whether he wanted it or not. 

******

Being on Elpis brought down memories, mostly unwanted ones but some good ones. Like Janey Springs, she was sometimes nice but then she talked too much and Tim would doze off. He had some time before the deal and looked up to see the town of Concordia. It was the most decent place he'd ever been to on Elpis mostly and decided to head up there and found people gasping right and left whenever they saw him. Tim looked down when he walked, trying not to look at their faces and found himself near Moxxi's old bar which has definitely seen better days. 

Tim walked inside and saw how trashed the place had become. The name was pretentiously changed to the "Down Under Bar". He approached the bar and gently tapped on it. A large looking man turned to him, Tim stepped back, thinking he was a column at first. 

"What do you want?" 

"Uh.. a drink would be.. nice?" 

The large man leaned in, much to Tim's dismay. When he spoke, his breath was like tear gas. Tim moved away in fear for his life. 

"Aren't you gonna name something specific?" 

"Why don't you surprise me?" 

The man eyed him for a while then turned around, preparing the drink. Tim sat down, scanning the bar. Whoever owned this place now clearly didn't like purple. 

The man handed Tim a glass filled with what looked like whiskey then added a little umbrella on the ice. Tim raised his eyebrows at that and the man read his surprise. 

"We got all these tiny umbrellas that I don't know what else we'll use for. They just give the drink a nice look to it" 

"Hehe, if you like that then you should've named the place, The Umbrella Bar" 

Tim chuckled at his own weird suggestion and moved the glass closer to his nose to sniff its contents, making sure it wasn't something else. It was better to check what he was drinking beforehand.

"What? You don't like the name?" 

Tim looked up to see the large man raising an eyebrow at him. He wondered if he was the person who named the place.

"No, no. I love it. I- I mean since you liked those little umbrellas, you should make a theme out of it" 

"Hmm, I never really thought of it that way. Thanks for the help, little man" 

The man poured another drink and put it next to Tim. 

"You earned yourself a bonus drink" 

"Haha, thank you, good sir" 

Tim shrugged his shoulders and started drinking it. It packed a certain kick that he didn't really feel before. He kept drinking and soon enough. It started to feel good. 

"Oh, wow. This is great" 

"Enjoy yourself" 

The man moved away to serve the other customers while Tim finished his glass. It felt like he was really light but on the other hand it felt like he was going to puke. He decided to focus on the good parts of life and drank some of the second glass. Jack's voice echoed in his head and it made him remember the deal. His eyes widened as he lost track of time. This time he knew Jack would have his head on a pike. 

He pulled out some dollar bills and put them on the bar and hurried out but realised he forgot to thank the man so he hurried back in. 

"Um, yes, thanks for the drinks!" 

"Don't mention it. Hey, finish that glass for me?" 

"I'm pretty full" 

The guy leaned in close and narrowed his eyes, giving a hostile vibe to Timothy. 

"So you reject my generous drink offer and let pour it down the drain?" 

"Just give it to so-" 

"I don't serve leftovers!" 

Tim put his hands up, palms out in a calming gesture, slowly leaning forward to grab the glass. 

"Okay, okay.. I'm sorry. I'll drink it" 

Tim furrowed his eyebrows together and knew he had to gulp it, despite what his full stomach thought of the excess booze he was about to dump. He looked at the large man who watched him and knew he had no choice. He closed his eyes and chugged the glass. Bottoms up. He put the glass down and felt his stomach about to explode in the only way it could. He gulped and covered his mouth. 

"That.. that was good" 

Tim put up his hands in a thumbs up at the man who seemed pleased about that. 

"Thank you. Good luck out there" 

"I'll need all the luck I can get" 

Timothy walked out slowly, focusing on not returning the contents of the glass on the man's floor or else his head would be on the man's pike instead of Jack's. And honestly speaking, Timothy was comfortable with his head between his shoulders.


	3. Desperate Times

The heights wasn't something he missed. How the Stingray would gain altitude and stay in the air for mere seconds, that was a nightmare for Timothy and his overfilled stomach but knew he had to suck it up. In Jack's words at that. But logically speaking, the Stingray was more practical and lighter for any situation.

He finally reached where Jack said the deal would be and realised there was no one. Tim slowly got off the Stingray and scanned the area, wondering if he had gotten there early after all. He gulped hard, hoping that would be enough to keep everything inside after that long ride. It was near the skeleton of an old building. Abandoned for sure judging how no one was around. He found himself keeping a hand on his stomach as if that would calm it down but apparently he had other things to worry about. 

"I should've remembered the damn heights" 

He said and regretfully put a hand on his mouth. 

"Oh, god, this is hell" 

"Handsome Jack. Well, you're certainly late" 

His eyebrows knitted together when he heard a voice talk to him and turned around to face its owner, hoping he hadn't heard him. A man who looked like none other than a common thief stood there in front of Timothy. In one hand he held a briefcase and in the other he had a gun. He wondered why his gun was in his hand and decided it was better to be careful handling this. Sensing the man's discomfort was obvious by how much he looked around. 

"He- Ahem. Let's call it fashionably late"

"You know, after the trouble I went through to get you this. This is hot cargo and I was thinking maybe the 3 million ain't gonna do no more. Now it's 9 million"

"What? A deal's a deal. You can't just set new rules after I've already came here. What do you think I am? A money machine?"

The man leaned in uncomfortably close and sneered ominously, making Timothy step back in concern.

"You're the Hyperion CEO. Money is no concern of yours. Now, unless you wanna play the game by my new rules, there will be no sale"

Timothy shook his head as he gazed at the man. He'd definitely have to run it by Jack but the problem now was that he was Jack. For the time being, he'd have to think of a solution to at least buy himself a private moment so he could contact Jack, knowing that he'd somehow get blamed for the current situation. Tim had to be Jack. At least just this once.

"Do you know who I am? I am Hyperion. Handsome goddamn Jack and I will not be extorted. I'll have you buried in some ditch after I.. cut you into, uh.. pitiful little pieces. One press of a button and I'll have you in a world of pain"

"Let's see ab-"

His words were cut by blood splattering into Tim's face. Shocked, he stepped back to see the man fall down face first in front of him. He scanned the area and quickly moved behind a large building and sat down, holding his head. It was definitely a sniper. Tim frantically pressed the buttons on the comm to call Jack.

"What is it"

His voice was cold and impatient. Tim hesitated before he spoke.

"Uh- you know how the deal was worth 3 million? 

"Of course I do, dumdum. I made the friggin deal"

"Hehe, funny story" Tim let out an uneasy chuckle "It's 9 million now"

"WHAT? HO-"

"Before you freak out. um, sir. The guy's somewhat dead now"

"You killed him? Hey, good for you, kiddo. Had me worried there for a sec"

"Not me. I think there's people here who are after the files. It's too precise and calm to be just Scavs"

"Well, that's no problem because you got the files, right?"

"I, uh.."

Tim trailed off and rubbed the back of his neck as he stared at his shoes, bracing himself for what's coming. Now realising that his oxygen levels are getting lower. Silence flooded the line between him and Jack.

"So let me get this straight. This guy tries to play me for a fool, trying to get extra money by tripling the original price and drops dead in front of you, but you just run away and not grab the files for free. Tell me that's not how it is"

"Jack.. I freaked out, I mean if it really is a sniper, I could be shot"

"Oh, okay! Now I have to live with you making me lose those files. No-no-no-no. Listen, you come back with those files because if you get back here without them, I'm gonna shoot you myself"

Jack said in a threatening tone and abruptly ended the call.

"Oh, hell. This can't be happening. I hate my damn life!" 

Tim frantically wiped the blood with his sleeve trying it get it off his face and trying to get the image of the man's brains being shot out. 

"Oh, this is happening" 

A pair of black boots appeared in his field of vision, Tim slowly looked up to see the familiar symbol of the Crimson Raiders. He imagined how'd that conversation with Jack would go, it would most certainly end with someone out the airlock and judging with how things were going, Tim was certainly fearing that someone would be him.

"Holed up like the weasel you are" 

He held his gun up, pointing it at Tim and gesturing for him to stand up. Tim complied and put his hands up slowly. Eying the button on his wrist.

"Didn't know you guys took your operations to Elpis"

"We do when we get word that you are looking for a Vault Key"

"Riiiight"

"Now I'm not alone. We're taking those files to Pandora but too bad you won't be alive. Wait til these guys finish searching the place. I'll leave with you on the ground, drenched in blood and brains. But one thing is strange, you certainly have the courage to come down here alone without any goons. So i'll give you that"

"I got...one thing to say to you" 

The image of what the man said didn't sit well with his stomach and Tim puked on the man.

"Ughh! What are you-! That is totally uncool"

The man exclaimed and stepped back, looking down at himself.

"I'm so-"

Tim wiped his mouth and saw that the man was too distracted, looking down at himself in disgust. It was the moment he was waiting for, so he grabbed his gun and shot the man in the leg.

"Son of a bitch"

The man grumbled as he clutched his leg in pain. Tim walked by and kicked the gun away from his hands.

"Now tell me. How many of you are there?"

"I ain't telling shit"

"Look, I reeeaaally don't wanna do this. So why don't we skip all this and get to the important details, okay?"

"Eat shit, Jack. You can go ahead and shoot me because I'm not telling you shit"

The man said, emphasizing every word. Tim knew those words were going to put him in a sticky situation as the role of Handsome Jack required. He knew well that Jack would kill him without a second thought but what could he do? He wasn't Jack. Hell, he wasn't even himself. Just a nobody. A mere shadow. A shadow that's forced to fight a battle against these people that wasn't even his. Tim hesitantly lowered his gun and knocked the guy out. At least when he made the choice of not killing him, no attention would be drawn this way.

Tim moved behind a wall and looked out, scanning the surroundings. There were at least four more guys who stood near a Bandit Technical, two more searched the body of the dead man when one of them pulled out a file that looked stacked with papers and maps. Tim cursed in his head that he couldn't get a hold of it sooner and now his chance of getting it decreased as he could see himself becoming a sieve if he took any step out of there. Unfortunately, chances of that doubled anyway with the face he wore. In his despair, he urged himself to think of something quickly and soon his eyes fell on the unconscious man. Desperate times calls for desperate measures, right? He hoped so.


	4. Springs Of Hope

"Hrk.."

Timothy said and took off his jacket and tried to wipe the vomit off the armour of the fallen solider then put it on. This was definitely had to be the lowest point in his life but as long as he'd stay alive, this was the way. He moved near the edge of the wall to look at the other raiders, they talked about their plans with the documents and Tim knew he had time to formulate a plan. He dressed the man in his jacket and pulled the rest of him in the shadows, only leaving the Hyperion logo on the jacket to be seen.

Tim knew he just had to get to his Stingray and he could lose them over the numerous ledges on Elpis. He moved his back to the wall, hoping this would work. He sucked in a breath and put on the helmet and yelled for his temporarily fellow men.

"Hey! Over here!"

"What do you have?"

"It's Jack! I got Jack!"

"No way"

Tim stuck his back to the wall, hoping they'd believe him and heard numerous footsteps approaching and he moved to the other side of the wall. When they moved closer to the body, he'd moved out and pressed the button on his wrist lasers. The two holograms appearing, giving him backup as he raced to his Stingray. He quickly got on and looked back, the holograms were keeping them at bay and giving him an opportunity to drive away.

"Okay, that went well"

Tim sighed in relief as he drove the Stingray away from the danger. Then he heard the gun behind him and knew this was far from over.

The raiders had gotten on their Moon Buggies and were now chasing him, Tim knew he had to get away or the Stingray would give and he'd meet his doom. He moved up a ledge and pressed the buttons for him to glide above the lava underneath. They stopped, choosing not to risk the jump but not before Tim's Stingray coughed out black smoke and malfunctioned midair from all the shooting it received, making the landing part much difficult. Tim fell off on his face onto the cold ground of Elpis. He looked back at the Buggy and the gunner turned his gun towards him and started shooting again. Tim got up and ran, evading gunshots. 

"This wouldn't be Elpis if I didn't get shot at"

Tim complained and kept running, sliding behind a rock. He'd hoped the raiders wouldn't make it across. His breath started to get shallow before he felt asphyxiated. 

"Oxygen level depleted"

The robotic voice said. Tim cursed in his head and had to speed up the process because if the raiders didn't kill him, the deprivation of oxygen will. He looked back at the Stingray, wondering if the laser guns would work. His brain went fuzzy with the lack of oxygen and he sunk behind the rock, looking for a place that would supply him with the oxygen he needed.

"This is.. just great" 

He mumbled to himself and covered his face with his hands. Suddenly he  heard other gunshots and he slowly peered from behind the rock. Bandits had attacked them and for the first time ever, he felt thankful for these psychotic morons.

"Retreat! We have to get these documents back to Pandora! We'll get him another time, we can't risk being pushed off this cliff"

With that, they drove away and the bandits followed. Tim sighed in relief, standing up. He continued to walk when Jack called on the comm. He hesitated to answer and knew what awaited him but he also knew what awaited him if he didn't answer. Tim slowly accepted the call and continued walking, feeling his legs getting heavier. 

"What? I have to call every time? Learn to report back, could ya?"

"I.. was gonnnn-"

"What? Gonnnn? Gun? Are you playing with me?"

Jack's voice echoed in Tim's ear and he couldn't answer back. Instead his eyes gave in and he collapsed on the ground.

"Hello?"

Tim crawled, trying not to lose consciousness. Jack continued to express his annoyance at him not answering. He made the brave choice of hanging up and slowly got up. Moving slowly around a mountain, leaning on it to support his now increasing weight and heard the familiar beeping of an air dome generator. He directed every ounce of energy he had on getting there. Jack's voice filled his ear once again.

"Oh, no. Kiddo. You did not just hang up on me"

Tim jumped in range and frantically pressed the buttons on the generator to create the dome so his head wouldn't explode. The beeping became stable as the dome spread around. Tim sucked in a deep breath once he could breathe again.

"Jack, I-"

"What the hell is going on? And this better be good"

Tim sensed the ominous tone and decided to approach with caution. He was treading on some thin ice and was perfectly comfortable being above it.

"Sir, well, wh-"

Jack roared in anger as Tim didnt interrupt his employer's fit. He used opportunity of "temporary silence" to look around. He needed a ship.

"You're killing me here! I gave you a simple task. One that I can do with my eyes closed and what did you do? Blow it up sky high. Kid, you're really testing my patience and you won't like me when my patience runs out"

"Don't worry. I'll get them back. They went back to Pandora. I'll find a ship and find the files for you"

"You better get them back. I'm giving you this one last chance. Don't screw it up"

Jack hung up and Tim recuperated in the meantime. Looking around in the GPS for the workshop he frequented in a period of his life. He needed to get to Pandora, but first needed a ship and he knew just where to get it.

****

He approached the workshop finally. It was a long way and he wished that she would be here. It would be a waste of time if she wasn't, time that he was no longer in control of. The helmet had cracked, leaving his left eye exposed. He sighed at his misfortune and walked inside, hoping to find better luck soon. He looked down at himself, with this armour on no one would think twice or ask questions of why he wants to go to Pandora.

"To think that the lunatic now terrorising Pandora saved Elpis selflessly is just unbelievable to me" 

Said the familiar voice of Janey Springs. 

"He really saved Elpis? And are you sure it was selfless?" 

A woman's voice said. One that Tim didn't hear before. 

"Well, I'm positive" 

"It wasn't selfless. He only saved Elpis because there was a Vault on it that he wanted" 

Timothy found himself saying. He realised after he had said it and widened his eyes at his own statement as if Jack himself was standing there in front of him. The two women looked at him in surprise. He wondered if she recognized his voice

"Uh.. I mean hi"

He awkwardly waved his hand and directed his field of vision elsewhere to try avoid the look on their faces.

"That's a weird way to say hi. But it's okay. We all dislike Jack"

The woman said and added a laugh. Tim felt a bit embarrassed to burst into the conversation like that but it felt good to finally speak freely.

"Oh, you must be a customer! What can I do for you"

Janey said in enthusiasm and stood up, opening her arms in a welcoming manner.

"I-uh need a ship? To take me to Pandora"

"Ohh.. That's gonna be a bit tough"

"Why?"

"See, I'm moving my workshop and I haven't ordered any new pieces in some time. I'd need parts for the rocket if not for the ship itself and it's basically impossible. I'm sorry"

"But...But.. Are you sure there's no way for me to get a ship soon? I have to get to Pandora"

"No. It'll take 3 months or more. I dunno"

Tim's face froze. In his head he imagined Jack shooting him and laughing manically. The thought send shivers down his spine and knew this was it. He thanked Janey and walked to the door. He needed another idea before Jack calls again and he would have to explain his failure once again to a raging lunatic.

"Hey,I'm heading there. I can take ya"

Tim stopped and looked back slowly. The woman who was sitting next to Springs sat up and leaned her elbows on her thighs. Her auburn hair was short, tied into a messy ponytail with bangs that framed her face and goggles that rested on her head. She wore a medium sized trench coat with dark pants and long buckled boots that ended just below her knee.

"You can?"

Tim asked, turning around to face her. She stood up and walked over to him, her piercing hazel eyes looking up at him.

"Sure, I can. But you know.. Nothing's completely for free"

"Ugh, c'mon"

"A girl's gotta eat"

She had an amused look on her face. Tim knew he had lots of money and since there was a no deal, it could be used in effort to get the files.

"How much"

"Well, since you're a raider, It'll be a good price. 5 Grand"

"Are you kidding me?"

"Oh, c'mon, Avery. He seems desperate. He's probably got a mission down there and look! He's in shit shape, otherwise his helmet wouldn't be broken"

The woman named Avery looked back at Springs then rolled her eyes, Tim smiled and wished Springs could see it as he wanted to show his gratitude.

"Ugh, fine. right then. Miss goodie-two-shoes"

"Thank you so much, Ms Springs"

"Oh, would you look at this bloke. Call me Janey"

Tim nodded then waved at Janey who waved back at them. Avery walked out and he slowly followed her, breathing in relief that getting to Pandora won't be as hard as he thought.


	5. Let's Get Poppin'

Tim had asked for a moment before he went on with the woman he had just met. He was thankful he was wearing a helmet so he wouldn't embarrass himself of how pretty he thought she was. Moxxi would definitely take her words back if she could see him now. In control of how he acted around women but still though, he was sweating profusely as he spoke to her but the helmet covered it all, For that he was very thankful for the Crimson Raiders. He called his boss, deciding to inform him of how the events were unfolding.

"You're a quick learner"

He said as soon as the line connected, Tim drew in a breath and kept it in, trying not to argue with him.

"Yes, sir. I found means of getting to Pandora and I'll be heading there as soon as possible"

"Excellent work! See, I knew you could do it. I shouldn't tell you this but keep it as a side objective. If you happen to go to Sanctuary, I want you to kill those three. No, better yet, disable the shields so I can kill them myself"

Tim processed the words in shock and found himself staring at the distance, his head subconciously shaking at what he was just told. He felt a faint fire of courage and decided to speak those words that Jack hates the most.

"No, Ja-"

"Don't you start saying shit, kid. You will do what I tell you to do. Hell, if I tell you to be a skag, you'll roll on your back and be a good skag. Get to Sanctuary and then call me back. Say, I was thinking, when you get back here, you should get that pretty face of yours branded too so it would make more sense that you're my body double"

Jack stated his wishes, he had that habit of getting what he wants frequently and the body double hoped for once that wouldn't happen this time. Timothy's shoulders slumped at the order he was just given and lost all senses thinking about how he'd now get branded, he felt his face tingle as if he could feel it already til Avery snapped her fingers in front of his face, gaining his attention.

"Hey, I was talking to you"

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I-I was thinking"

"You always do that when you're thinking?"

Only when I'm being forced to commit mass murder and mutilation

Tim thought and followed Avery as she walked to the side of the workshop where a purple Moon Buggy was parked but it was nowhere near a Moon Zoomy station so it had to be hers. Tim wondered how she'd get them to Pandora since there was no ship around. Avery circled the Buggy and jumped in, getting in the driver's seat and moving her hand towards the seat behind her, he threw a questioning look.

"Get in the gunner's seat?"

"Oh, um right. I knew that"

He said to her, getting annoyed at himself for being stupid and decided not to explain too much because it would only result in the same disaster that happened with Moxxi.

"If you say so"

Tim pulled himself up on the car and got in the opening to take control of the turret loaded on the Buggy and looked down at her from his position. she sped away from the workshop and Tim spun the gun in a 360 then turned back to face the back of her head.

"So, where's your ship?"

"First thing's first. We gotta handle something"

"What? That's not what we agreed on"

"Yeah, but then again. I didn't say I'll be leaving right away. I mean, you need me and not the other way around"

"Yo-You can't do that"

"Look, you can relax. It's a really fun activity that even you would enjoy, Crimson Raider"

"It.. is?"

Tim lifted a quizzical eyebrow as he scanned the area around him. The large icy mountains telling him that he was in Trition Flats, he wondered about what the fun thing she talked about might be and started to get uncomfortable about how fun that deed would actually be to him.

"Can I just ask you what is it we're doing?"

"You will see soon enough"

She drove to a nearby Moon Buggy garage that was based near the mountain of ice. Tim could see the bridge that led to the Darksider's headquarters and that brought memories that he didn't wanna remember. 

Tim looked back at her and saw that she lifted herself out of the vehicle and made her way inside. He thought about whether or not to follow her but decided it was definitely better than staying out here alone as if he was bandit bait. He lifted himself and jumped off the Buggy, following Avery inside.

"You're a little brat, you know that? I can't wait to rub it in your face when I'm done with you"

" Whatev. I'm the best, end of! Get yourself a moon buggy and prove me wrong!"

The child kept snorting like it was some sort of gimmick he invented for himself. Tim chuckled, thinking about how if he was in his old college he'd be known as the kid who snorts like a piglet.

"That's a lotta trousers for a little man"

"Shut up and race me!"

"Oh, I got a buggy for ya. Even got the rear all polished up for you to stare at while I cross that finish line faster than you could do that obnoxious snort again"

Avery moved forward and smacked his helmet downwards, Timothy felt his hands go up in effort to stop her but he was too late. She chuckled, feeling quite pleased with herself when the kid groaned.

"Heey!"

Avery looked at Tim when she passed him, whispering that it won't take long and he shouldn't worry. He doubted all this and had a bad feeling about her being a good trash talker but a bad driver.

She got in the buggy and Tim reluctantly followed, pulling himself on the turret, just wanting to get this over with. He saw no need for his presence and was going to propose that he just wait for her here. Maybe even just chill at the garage and could even find something less life threatening that he could participate in.

"Look, maybe it's be-"

The buggy sped forward as Avery began to laugh in excitement, not giving him the chance to even finish his sentence. Tim held on to the gun and turned around when she took a sharp turn left, seeing that the kid was behind them but Avery sped on, not giving him a chance to pass them.

"Whoaaa!"

Tim exclaimed at the result of the speed and reckless sharp turns that this woman was taking. He was now certain that this woman was unstable.

"We can speed this up by shooting one of his tires"

She shouted to him over the roaring engines of both buggies.

"Are you crazy? He's a child"

He shouted back, wondering if she was actually serious about this.

"I didn't say shoot him in the head, you smartass. It'll just slow him down"

"What? Can't you win fair and square?"

Avery didn't reply to that and Tim didn't know whether it was because she had no reply or she had given up on her strange request. She started to yell something else at him.

"Okay, we're nearly there, hold on"

The buggy sped on forwards and took a sharp right, grazing the edge of a pool containing liquid methane. Tim's eyes widened at how close there were to a fast, freezing death and held at the turret for his dear life. Before he knew it, they had crossed the finish line. Much to the child's dismay, he had begrudgingly given Avery some money that Tim assumed was a bet. She snatched it out of his hand and walked out and he hurriedly followed her.

"Wait, you're taking that? What if it was all he had? I mean, life here is tough and he's just a kid"

Avery stopped and turned to look at him, gazing at the uncovered green of his mismatched gaze upon her, raising an eyebrow after she pulled up her goggles.

"Oh, my god. Would you quit it? Is whining all you do? A bet is a bet, raider"

She said and shoved the cash in her pocket, making her way to the buggy as if there was not a worry in the world. Tim slowly followed and lifted himself up on the turret, preparing to finally go to the ship this time, she was after all, his only way off this moon.

"Dad! They cheated!"

A childish whine was heard as the nearby garage rumbled to let out another buggy that was occupied by an older man who Tim had assumed was the father. He felt himself gulping and moved his eyes towards Avery who lowered her goggles and he had a hard time reading her thoughts about the situation.

"You know? This would be a good time to use that turret!"

"What? I'm-I'm not killing his dad"

"While you deal with that moral dilemma of yours, it would be a good time to consider that he won't hesitate to shoot us!"

"But.."

Tim hesitated and looked at the man who was now shooting at them. He lowered his head, covering it with his hands and looked at Avery from his helpless situation, she took sharp turns left and right and Tim had added something to his discomfort list, Avery. The man was still on their backs and he definitely knew that he was much better than his son. He shouted at them as Avery drove, trying everything to shake him off but no hope. Tim remembered what Avery had said about the tire and slowing down. He mustered up his courage and grabbed the turret, aiming it at the man's left tire and shooting it. The tire blew, making the man not controlling the way his vehicle was going and took an unfortunate dip into the nearby lake of lava. Avery noticed the lack of bullets and pulled to a stop, watching the vehicle slowly sink into the unforgiving molten rock and looked back at him, flashing a smirk.

"Hey, you tried my trick. But I admit, that was a bit extreme. You definitely don't do that when a person is trying to turn"

He turned at her slowly, his eyes wide. He had so many things to say to her but chose to remain quiet. She sighed and let out a chuckle. 

"C'mon, raider. I'll buy you a drink"


	6. The Ship

Going back to Concordia wasn't on Timothy list, he blew out a breath as he watched Avery pull herself out of the buggy and taking the way up to the city. He followed her, passing a reflective surface on the way in. The helmet's face shield was busted open and the crack was something he worried about. The moment his face is revealed, he knew he was as good as dead. 

"I ain't got all day, slow poke"

"Right, right" 

He said and followed her, he knew where she was heading and thanks to the amount of time he frequented this place, he had known it by heart. They made their way to the bar that now had a huge cloth with large letters written sloppily in black paint reading "The Umbrella Bar". 

"Huh, they changed the name"

Avery commented, Tim let out a soft chuckle at the name. It even had a small drawing of what he assumed was an umbrella. 

"It's a nice name"

"Eh, I liked the old one"

She said while waving a hand, walking inside. Tim shrugged and followed her, wondering if he really should have some alcohol after what has happened but then just let it rest by eventually thinking it would calm him. Maybe put his mind off how things were going recently. She picked a table in the dim lighting of the distant corner, near the slot machines that Tim noticed lacked power except for one or two. She made herself comfortable and he sat across from her and joined his fingers together, choosing not to speak about anything at the moment. 

"So, you got a name?"

Tim raised his head to look at her. It was the first question she asked him and it didn't have an easy answer. He was legally forbidden to reveal his name but had also remembered that legally enough, he ceased to exist. But one thing was clear enough for him. He wasn't Jack. He lifted his eyes to look at her, she gave him a look that he couldn't read.

"What? Is it a secret or something? Kind of like Crimson Raider black ops?"

"No, I- my name is Timothy"

"Well, then. Nice to officially meet you, Tim. I'll go get the drinks"

Then she got up and headed towards the bar to get some drinks. When she was away, Tim sighed and looked down at his fingers, getting frustrated at how slow this was going. Was she waiting for anything? She walked back, carrying a tray of shots with mini umbrellas then returning to her seat. 

"Well, bottoms up. Let's celebrate your good aiming"

Tim's eyes followed her hands, she had started to take out the umbrellas and put them to the side of the tray.

"My good aiming?"

"You did get that problem off our backs and saved me a lot of time. So yeah, not really the greatest aiming but you get the point"

She took a shot glass then clinked it to an untouched one on the tray and downed it. Tim shrugged and decided to take that compliment then grabbed a shot glass and raised it to his face and was reminded that he had the helmet on and tried to act casual about it to not attract her attention.

"You know, you could just take the helmet off"

"Uh sure"

She gave a skeptical look while downing her second shot then leaned forward, Tim could've sworn her eyes saw right through him and it sent shivers down his spine. He turned his eyes away and leaned into the darker area and lifted his helmet a bit, downing the shot.

"Did a skag chew on your face or are you just shy?"

She said in an amused tone and leaned forward while looking at his uncovered eye.

"No.. Yeah, I mean not a skag but it's just an old accident. I can barely live with my own face let alone others seeing it"

"That.. Oh, I mean, I'm sorry, I guess"

She backed up and Tim followed, feeling a knot in his stomach. He moved his eyes downward at his untouched glass, hoping to avoid her eyes.

"It's fine"

Tim mumbled, downing another shot. The silence between them let his orders slip back into his mind and he looked at her, downing another shot. 

"Hey, when are we gonna get on the ship?"

"Soon. Since we're on the topic, I think it's fair to discuss the price to transport, ahem "living cargo" "

"I'm just really in a hurry here"

Tim said, not wanting to get into the topic of exactly what she meant by "living".

"Heh, what can I say. That costs extra"

"Do you run on money or something? You just won a couple of bucks from that kid and you want more?"

Tim said in an irritated tone and noticed that Avery had leaned in and raised an eyebrow, glancing at him with an annoyed look. 

"You're not at the liberty of passing on judgement here. Especially when I run the rules, I was gonna be nice about it and cut you a deal that would satisfy the both of us but if you keep acting like that, I'm gonna have to change my mind. Seriously, do all you idiots feel all high and mighty all the time?" 

"I.. shouldn't of said that" 

Tim said quietly, glancing at the filled shot glasses. She was right about that, him being around Jack for long periods of time really got to him, much to Tim's dismay. 

"Damn right, you shouldn't of. Now let's just pretend all of that didn't happen. Get those bitter ends of conversation out of the way" 

"I'm up for the deal" 

"That's what I love to hear. I can't give you details now because I'm still working on it. Now we should get to the ship, pilot's waited enough" 

Avery stood up and downed one last shot and left a couple of dollar bills on the table. Tim stood up and noticed there were only two left and glanced over to the bartender. The man was busy with two other customers and thought whether he should tell Avery about the man's dislike for leftover drinks. He decided to do so.

"Uh, I should tell you. He doesn't really like it when people don't finish their drinks" 

Avery moved her eyes towards Tim then down at the shot glasses. 

"Then you drink it" 

"I think I had enough" 

"Just drink it" 

"Why should I drink it? I don't want it" 

Avery turned her body to face Tim's with an annoyed expression on her face. Tim felt his body step back at her sudden moves. He didn't want her to see him as if he couldn't finish two shots, a fair reputation caused for some sacrifice.

"Just fucking do it, okay? What? You can't take your drink?"

"No, it's- I mean, I can handle my drink. Pshh. What do you even mean?"

Tim chuckled nervously and waved his hands, trying to seem casual. Avery's annoyed expression dispersed very quickly and was replaced with a confused look. 

"Heh, I can take my alcohol. I love.. alcohol"

Tim added, his sentence reeking of false confidence that he prayed she wouldn't detect and grabbed the glass shot, turning around to down the glass then quickly following it with the next. He groaned and lowered his helmet at the bitter taste of the liquid. 

"See?" 

He said and gave a light shrug. Tim could've sworn that he saw a smile from Avery when she turned around to walk towards the exit. His eyes went lower and realised he was checking her out and shook his head as if to kick out that thought. He hurridly jogged after her and followed her to the ship. 

It was huge and parked by the side of Janey's other workshop, Avery had opened the door of the ship and stepped inside. Tim slowly walked inside, looking at all the space. There were only a few straps on the wall and a single door that he assumed led to the cockpit.

"Okay, you can stay here"

She said and pressed a button on the side of the ship, closing the door. Tim watched her move to the door then turning around to face him. He looked around at the lack of seating then looked back at her, waiting for her to address the obvious.

"I'll go see where we stand. Why don't you get strapped up?"

Tim glanced around at the emptiness around him again and saw nowhere to sit. She sensed his confusion and grabbed one of the straps on the wall and waved it at him like it was the most clearest thing ever. 

"This is crazy, I'll probably die before we even get to Pandora"

Tim said and gestured to the straps in an exaggerated manner as if to prove his point or at least beg the woman not to let him die like this. 

"In my defence, I wasn't expecting visitors"

"I'm sure there's something here. I just wanna sit down"

Tim made his way to the only door there and opened it before Avery could protest. There was the pilot's seat and another seat that was currently used as a laundry basket.

"Hey! You're not allowed in there!"

Avery's voice came from behind him, she grabbed his shoulder and pulled him out. 

"You have a perfectly good seat. Not only that but it has seatbelts and you wanted to strap me on there. That's not fair, I mean you and the pilot get good seats"

Tim said, with every word he knew the bulkhead was where he was going. Avery looked pissed off and turned around to not face him. He looked at her and hoped that didn't ruin his chances with this ship. She sighed and looked back at him as if she was scanning him. 

"Well, fine. I'll just clear that seat for you"

"But where are you gonna sit?"

"On the pilot's seat. Who do you think was flying this thing?"

Tim's eyes widened. He wondered if he heard that correctly. She smiled and walked to the cockpit, stepping inside. He was way too surprised to say anything and couldn't even make up his mind about what surprised him more, the fact that she was the pilot or the fact that she was willing to tie him to the ship. He slowly followed her inside and watched her switch some switches upwards before she turned her head to face him with a smirk on her lips.

"It'll be a bumpy ride so I suggest you sit before you get hurt"


	7. End Of The Line

Tim folded his arms across his chest and looked at his surroundings. They had just passed Helios and for some reason Avery chose to fly under it. He wondered if she wanted to sound the alarm just for fun, she was definitely that kind of person. His hands played with the seatbelt as he found himself thinking about the possibility of how smoothly this job would go. It seemed easy. Too easy and then felt responsible for reminding himself that Roland was not a stupid man and how he'd be the stupid man if he let that fact pass him by.

He noticed that Jack didn't call back to lecture or bark any more orders, not that he was complaining but it was certainly strange but maybe he had something to keep him occupied and that felt good. Tim leaned his head on his hand, knowing that for the time being he'd  be the one doing the complaining about this long trip. It reminded him of his first trip to the moon after all was said and done for him, he hoped that this would be better than the last. He looked at Avery, she seemed fixated on flying the ship that was surprisingly going steady, taking this very well.

"So, where are you heading on Pandora? Sanctuary? Anywhere?"

"Sanctuary, for starters"

"Starters? You heading somewhere else?"

"It all depends on my orders, really. It's mainly opposing... Hyperion"

He paused for a while, actually thinking what he truly opposed in that moment before giving the answer he knew he had to.

"Ah, Hyperion. The trashiest trash of the universe. Sitting pretty and looking down on everyone. You know, they'll get what's coming to them one day or another"

"She doesn't like us, does she?"

A familiar voice invaded his ear and it made him jump. He quickly straightened up and hoped Avery didn't see that. Tim couldn't talk to him now so his hands unbuckled his seatbelt to go out to get some privacy. He floated to the door and went out, closing it behind him then wondered whether he should've told Avery an excuse that was better than him scrambling outside with no explanation. But right now he was more concerned with the unsatisfied voice of his boss.

"Jack?"

"No, it's your conscience. Of course, it's friggin Jack"

Tim rolled his eyes as he floated around the spacious cabin, thinking about how uncomfortable this was. He reached his hand to grab one of the straps to stabilise himself in one place.

"I didn't hear you calling"

"That's not the point. Roland got suspicious, they're raising their security level around their stupid town"

He thought about the raiders who retreated and wondered if that had anything to do with it. Thinking about it now, it was all clear. How could he have missed this? They knew someone out there was an imposter. Of course they'd raise their suspicions about people going in and out the town. 

"And what? You wanted to just waltz in there? There are skags with more imagination than you, for chrissake.."

"Uh.. I, uh was working on that"

"By getting arrested as soon as you take one step in there?"

"Heh.. No?"

"Then what's your big plan, hotshot? Because to me, you seem like you have nothing"

Tim didn't reply. Jack was right, he had nothing. He was on this crazy chase for bragging rights and he came up empty. He shook his head with shame and just wanted to end this call.

"You're killing me here. You're useless. You had to go and screw this up for me and turn it to the ultimate shit show"

"I-.. I'm sorry. If it just went according to plan I'd-"

"I had a plan! Okay? I told you exactly what to do and when to do it"

Jack interrupted and raised his voice, making Tim feel more nervous. He looked around as if this ship could offer him a way out of this situation, actually considering what his boss' reaction would be if he had done it like he said.

"I had people attack me. I was shot at. It didn't go like how we planned, Ja- uh, sir"

He corrected himself last minute, hoping the raging CEO didn't hear him.

"Suck it up, princess. You should be used to that so don't complain to me that everything didn't go to plan, you handle things. It's your fault for letting those asswipes live and It's your fault that your cover is blown"

Tim felt his chest tighten listening to Jack say that. He failed. He was right. He was a failure. But he shook his head. The body double kicked those thoughts out of his head. He wasn't going to call himself a failure over the unnecessary killing of those raiders. If anything, he acted responsibly and less like a psycho. He acted in what he thought was right and he wasn't going to kick himself mentally for that.

"The plan has changed. I'll be in touch, you got that?"

"....Yes"

Tim mumbled, not wanting to say anything more than he needed to. Just wishing this call would end.

"Good. You and I are gonna have a little talk when you get back here. Some stuff to discuss about your methods. Hanging up now"

Jack ended the call and Tim slumped his shoulders, his hands slowly letting go of the straps. Resulting of his body floating in the cabin. He closed his eyes and relaxed, laying in midair, hoping this zero gravity would float away the burdens on his shoulders, making them much lighter.

 

**

Tim eventually got tired of floating all around the room and made his way to the cockpit, pulling open the door and getting inside then strapping himself in the seat. He leaned his head on his hand and looked at the huge planet in front of him. Pandora. They were getting close. He moved his eyes to the side, gazing at the blackness of space that was littered with skeletons of ships that never made it to their destinations. 

"Hey, you took a while"

Avery said and interrupted Tim's sulking. He first thought of not replying at all, knowing she'll go silent after a while. Then he felt bad for ignoring her.

"I did"

"Did you throw up?"

"Wh- No. No, I didn't. Why?"

"I don't know. I just assumed, because it happened this one time. Ugh, no it was not pretty at all. Well, thanks for not throwing up, I guess"

"You're welcome.. I guess"

Avery let out a soft laugh that made Tim look her way. She seemed different when she laughed. Somewhat... brighter.

"That was.. weird"

She said, that smile still on her face. Her eyes carefully fixed in front of her. She was right, it was weird. Tim leaned his head on his hand again and looked at Pandora again. Wondering what he would do once he got there. He was lost, neck deep in shit dumped on him by Jack and confused on what was next. With all that in mind, he didn't even feel himself falling asleep.

****

Tim shot up in his seat, once again drenched in sweat. He lifted his hand to wipe the sweat off his face and his hand hit the helmet, reminding himself that he had it on. It was beginning to get on his nerves and he wished he could just take it off but only the thought of him being sold in a murder auction kept his hands off it. The scenery around him wasn't black anymore, it was replaced by sandy mountains and a huge wall that had a sign next to it that stated in plain letters: Sanctuary. He widened his eyes as he remembered that he didn't inform Avery of the change of plans that suddenly happened a while ago. He scrambled to look for her so they could get out of here. Or.. his eyes shifted to the wheel, thinking if he could fly this thing on his own. 

"No, what are you thinking" He scolded himself. "You're not better than Jack if you do this"

He stood up and slowly walked to the door, pulling it open as silently as he could. Tim peeked his head to see if anyone was inside but it was empty. The straps were now strapped to two boxes and the cargo door was open. He carefully made his way to it, looking out to see if there was any raiders and there was. Tons of them, this place was crawling with them. Perhaps the only reason they didn't find him was that Avery didn't land inside the city. Tim started to think how him falling asleep like that was a stupid move and mentally kicked himself for it. He survived capture because of sheer luck and didn't want to know how far his luck would hold out before it eventually ran out.

Avery was talking to one of the raiders as she held a box, it was identical to the ones inside the ship, suddenly another raider was making his way into the ship. Timothy felt a panic wave go through over him as his brain rushed into scenarios that he wasn't very excited to see come true. He stuck his back to the ship and slipped out slowly when the raider was seemingly searching the vehicle then hid behind a large nearby dumpster. At this point his legs moved alone and lost all sense of things, he scanned the area and when he wanted to move but two raiders walked by and stopped near the dumpster. Tim's heart raced and his breath got stuck in his throat, what has he gotten himself into. 

"Nothing out of the ordinary there. She's okay"

He heard the raider say to the two other raiders.

"I'm gonna tell the boss she's good to go"

"Man, this is just too much"

One of the raiders said to his partner as soon as the other one's footsteps were no longer heard. Tim kept his head down, trying to see if Avery had moved so he could get out of here. He wondered if he could give her a signal to get her attention without giving his location away.

"It isn't too much, dude. That was a Hyperion jacket"

The second raider had replied to his friend. Tim felt his body go still as he heard those words and realised they were talking about the incident. He pondered about whether they were present in Elpis or not.

"But c'mon, what are the chances that it's actually Jack?"

"Frank said it was Jack. And he's out looking for a Vault key, it makes sense"

"Frank got hit in the friggin head. For all we know, his memory could've been fuzzy. He could be easily seeing things"

"Whatever it is, man. It's Hyperion. Plus, the deal was made with Jack so it would make sense for him to come"

"I don't know about you, man, but I don't think it was him. Dude's just not the type. He's more of a... I don't know, a coward. Why do you think he's hiding up there. Least we know the key's safe with Tannis"

Tim agreed with the man silently, thinking about the mention of the key but letting it linger for long then moved carefully to the side of the dumpster to look at where Avery was but she wasn't there. He lost his nerve as he frantically searched for her with his eyes. She was getting on the ship, her elbow reaching for the button on the side but couldn't get to it holding that box. With a sigh, she put it down so she could get it. He searched his mind for a way to get her attention and noticed a rock in front of him. Quickly, he grabbed it and threw it at the ship, Avery looked out and didn't seem happy. 

"Pssssssssst"

Tim said, waving his arms  in distraught matter, hoping that she'd notice. Avery looked at him and raised a quizzical eyebrow and walked out her ship. He had to wait for her assistance to move a muscle. 

"Hey! It's him! It's that guy!"

A voice yelled from behind him. Tim froze in his steps, not sure on what to do or how he was recognised. He looked at Avery for help and he couldn't make out how she was reacting to the situation and if she wanted to help him or not. He swallowed down hard and slowly reached out for the back up button, things weren't going too good and he needed help but before he could touch it, the unexpected happened.


	8. Boom Ka-ching

An explosion followed by emergence of smoke filled the area, making it tougher to see. Tim's feet launched him from behind the dumpster, trying to get away from this alive but something tugged at his backpack, stopping him dead in his tracks. He looked back but he couldn't see what held him back especially with the smoke now occupying his vision so he struggled to break loose from this grip. Gunshots were exchanged and he tried keeping his head down to not get caught in the crossfires, his main priority was to get to the ship and hope that Avery would help him get away.

Suddenly he felt a powerful shove that had him fall face first on the ground, he rolled on his back, grabbing his gun and pointing it at the figure behind the smoke.

"Relax, you idiot. It's me"

Came the familiar voice of Avery standing on top of the dumpster, she moved her hand in a fanning motion to get a clear look at Tim.

"Get to the ship, I'll cover you!"

Tim touched the strap around his torso and made sure the bag was there and scrambled to the ship, seeing that the smoke was fading. The source had to be a smoke bomb thrown by Avery. He jumped in then looked back, Avery was slowly backing up to the ship but paying attention to the increasing number of raiders shooting at them.

"C'mon!"

He yelled, starting to shoot back, hoping it would buy her some time so he could get out of here safely. 

"I'm coming!"

Avery shouted above the gunshots and ran inside, slamming the switch to close the door. The sounds of the shots from the inside were quieted down and Tim leaned back against the wall, feeling relieved that he was alive. Avery darted towards the wheel and and before Tim knew it, she had it running and ready to get out of there. There was a loud rumble that made the ship shake and didn't make him feel any safer than now. He moved from the wall and clutched his gun tighter, wondering what was that.

"Why did the ship just shake?"

He found himself wondering out loud before an explosion sounded, making the ship tremble as a result. A grapple hook suddenly pierced the door and held tight, making the metal bend just a little under it. Tim moved back, ready to shoot if need be. This was self defence, it wasn't different from all the times he went running and shooting people. The door was pulled off the ship, bending from the pressure as if it was a piece of paper. He moved towards the door to see raiders in Technicals giving chase and one of them held a large rifle, loading it with another grapple hook while the other was manning the missile launcher on the vehicle.

"Avery?! They've got a missile launcher, you gotta go higher!"

"I can't! One of the engines is busted"

Her response came quick as Tim knew he had to do something. He slowly walked to the door, making sure if any sudden movement were to happen, he wouldn't fly off. He started shooting at the car but it turned away from him, changing direction every minute in a zigzag. Tim looked down at the button on his wrist, wondering whether he could use the holograms now. It meant losing everything, especially if Avery saw it. It was already stupid of him to almost use it back at the outer gates of Sanctuary. Her and the raiders would love to get themselves a piece of Jack. The raider aimed it at the ship and Tim's eyes went wide.

"Avery! They're gonna try to pull the ship down! You need to change course!"

"What do you want me to do?! I'm doing the best I can!"

"Look"

Tim held to the side of the door, watching him try to aim. He looked at the ship then looked back at the Technical. He thought of something and prayed at least this time something would work out.

"I need you to do a sudden turn when I tell you to, Okay?"

"What are you thinking!"

"Just trust me!"

Tim yelled then grabbed a grenade, thinking it was the only viable thing to use so his cover wouldn't get blown. Logically, by blowing something else up. 

"You better not mess things up!"

"Yeah, I hope"

Tim said, more to himself than anyone else. The raider shot the hook, Tim observed him to see if he'd do what he thought. If they planned to use the missile, they would've used it and downed this ship already but maybe they didn't want that. The raider started to tie the rope in the vehicle, Tim got ready to use the grenade for his, expecting this would do what he had in mind.

"Now!"

Avery steered the ship and they flew over them but not before pulling the other raider that grabbed to the rope of the hook he shot off the vehicle. Tim looked down, getting ready to drop the grenade into the car but his actions were interrupted by a moonshot, blowing up the car sky high, nearly getting the ship as well. He held on to the ship and looked upwards, seeing that there were other moonshots incoming and thought if that was intentional.  Avery steered the ship and pressed the boost button. Tim nearly flew out but luckily grabbed on to the straps, holding it for dear life.

"Well that's one time the moonshots have came in handy!"

On the bright side, they had gotten rid of the tail, now crossing some miles off Avery's list, they were speeding away from the area before any backup came for them and the moonshots have went cold for now. The body double wrapped his arm around the strap to maintain inside the ship, he knew it was only a few minutes and til that ended he would very much like to remain in, feeling a sense of annoyance that Avery hadn't warned him about her sudden move. The ship then started to slow down, making a few unpleasant sounds before it began to lose altitude.

"Dammit! The engines are gone!"

She yelled to him, the ship went down fast and rough. the strap slid from Tim's hand during the crash and he fell forwards, crashing into the boxes before the ship came to a stop. Now, finally settled in one place, the body double's hand went to his helmet, feeling thankful he had it on. However, the helmet's face shield was completely broken off as a result. That was great, Tim thought and pulled himself up from the boxes using the strap and slowly started to recognise that there was smoke starting to fill the ship and fire surrounding the boxes probably coming from the busted engines, he rushed to the cockpit to check on Avery. There was an alarm noise and red light radiating from the now trashed control pad in front of her and she was still seated, slightly moving her head left and right as if she was having a bad dream.

"Avery?"

Tim said and made his way towards her only to realise she was barely conscious. Her forehead had a cut on it that was bleeding but other than that, nothing dangerous, he reached his hand to unbuckle her seatbelt but it didn't budge. Tim tried again and again but no use. He moved back, wondering how he could get her out of here before the smoke would suffocate them both as he had started to cough, getting uncomfortable with the rapidly decreasing of air around him. The straps, he thought if he could cut them. It was a great idea and looked around for a knife or anything sharp and managed to find a pocket knife in one of the pants that were on the ground. He quickly moved the knife on the strap, cutting it. He grabbed her arm and put it around his neck to get her out of the seat, she coughed then groaned in response.

"C'mon. We need to get out of here"

He managed to get both of them outside the ship and laid her down on the ground, leaning down next to her, glancing back at the ship. He breathed deeply, feeling thankful for the not-so-fresh-but-better-than-smoke air.

"Stay here. It'll be okay"

"No.. The ship"

She put a hand on her head, pushing back the goggles on her head resulting in her bangs to get pushed back and managed to sit up, looking at flames now going up. Her eyes moved to Tim and they turned serious. He found himself thinking about what was going through her mind since that look didn't make him feel at ease.

"I'm not gonna let those supplies burn.. in that fucking fire"

"You can't be serious, it's su-"

"I don't expect you to understand"

She cut him off and stood up, slowly walked to the ship. Tim watched her go, knowing full well that this was a bad idea but she was determined but he knew she must've hit her head pretty bad to go inside a burning ship. It was a damn mystery to him how she was moving after that but that wasn't the point now. He ran after her, trying to change her mind, blocking her way to the ship.

"Look, it's on fire. It might explode any second an-"

"You don't give the orders around here, okay? I paid for this shit"

She moved forward, harshly pushing him to the side. Tim stood his ground and kept her from going inside for now, much to her dismay.

"I'll shoot you"

She said in annoyed manner, giving him a look of irritation which Tim pretended not to notice but decided to try and calm her down first.

"Look, don't be crazy"

"Crazy? I've got g-"

An explosion cut her off as the fires raged on as if they were celebrating the event. Tim shot out an arm, pushing her back as he watched on. Mini explosions followed and he thought that maybe that was the cargo she had. 

"FUCK!"

She screamed at the sky and followed that with a generous amount of profanities while kicking every rock she found on the ground. Tim knew better to stay back and gently stroked his arm, thinking it was a shame the ship went down like this.

"You! This is all your damn fault!"

She charged towards him and he put his arms up in an effort to keep her at bay but her arms flung in every direction even succeeding on landing a smack on his helmet then his arm.

"Okay, Okay. Just-"

"You fucking ruined this for me!"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry I'm not the good luck charm that all of you need, okay?"

"No, It's not okay, you stupid idiot! If it had been the cargo it would've been okay but the ship went down too not only that but I'm stranded in the middle of nowhere with a goddamn moron"

"I'll pay you for that, I hav-"

He reached back and grabbed the bag off his torso but felt it was lighter than usual. Upon examining it, he realised it had been torn, looking around him to see if the money was on the ground but his mind went back to Sanctuary. Only left with one stack of cash, he raised it to his face, having a bit of trouble digesting the fact that now, all truly was lost.

"What? You only have that? You must be screwed up in the head if you-"

Suddenly, a sound of metal clinking interrupted them and they both looked at the source of the sound. Tim being more than glad that she managed to stop yelling, for once he just wished for one day to pass by without him being yelled at or being called an idiot. He tensed up at the electricity in the atmosphere of her anger and the fact that he lost the money and just clung to the momentary peace he had now, hoping it would serve as a distraction. But a raider clutching his torso with one hand to cover what seemed to be a bad injury and held a rifle with the other was now in their sights, when he noticed that his position was compromised he visibly started to panic so bad that Tim thought he never related to anyone this strongly. 

Avery groaned angrily and took out her gun, walking to the the injured solider. Tim quickly knew what was going to happen next and he ran after her, closing the distance between the raider and the pissed off woman. As he predicted, she wasn't pleased with him pulling the same strings he had before, the man started to plead.

"Please, no, no"

"No, not like this. He's wounded"

Tim said to Avery who lifted her gun to the sky, raising an unamused eyebrow as she scanned the man in front of her. Tim had a hand extended in front of him in efforts to keep her back, he prayed that would work. This was a gamble on his part but he was willing to take this chance, thinking he was finally brave enough to stop a bullet.

"Get out of the way"

She said sternly with an ominous voice. Tim gulped and held his hand where it was and didn't move it.

"No.. You're not better than the murderers if you do this"

"Oh, you talk as if this place is a park in a peaceful suburb. Wake up and smell the stench, sunshine. This is Pandora. This is how things work around here and if the tables were turned, you think he'd save himself a bullet? Huh?!"

She was right, he wasn't even better himself. Tim looked down, feeling his hand getting lower without him feeling. Avery watched his movements, keeping her gun still pointed to the sky.

"We can't kill a man who can't defend himself. It's different. Yeah, he wouldn't save his bullet but there's no need to do it now. It would be better to save your bullet because you never know when it would come in handy"

"Yeah, when I shoot you in the damn head. Fine, If my bullet won't kill him, the brilliant wildlife of Pandora will"

Avery waved her hand and put her gun away, starting to walk. Tim watched her and he let out a breath he didn't realise he was holding in and looked behind him. The man looked up at him and Tim tried to look empathetic enough, seeing that he wasn't much different from where this man was. As he glanced down, he noticed he had a red strap around his arm and found himself wondering if that was one of the protective procedures they had done to prevent him from entering Sanctuary. He sighed and now he had to focus on his current issues, having trouble coming to terms with how screwed up the rest of how this day would go, not only did he manage to piss off his psychotic boss now he pissed off this woman who had a very short temper in addition to losing the money. He didn't see how things would get better from now on.


	9. Highway To Hell

Avery had to be sitting near the ship for at least 20 minutes, watching the flames burn the skeleton of the ship but as the time passed, they started to burn lower. Tim had made sure the raider could walk and he had rejected any more of Tim's gestures and told him he could go. A breath was blown from the body double at the matter and for now as he glanced back at the ship, he was left wondering if Avery was suffering from denial and decided to keep his distance for now in fear of her explosive temper, if that moment were to happen again, he would rather be away from the explosion radius. His eyes moved up to the mighty Hyperion space station and remembered how the moonshots saved him from imminent doom. But what more sorrow can he bring upon himself now? He found himself dreading the idea of calling Jack. Losing the money might actually be the last straw for his eternal dismissal.

He noticed that Avery had started to walk away, leaving him behind with the shipwreck. That wasn't the best of ideas and he honestly didn't wanna go running around Pandora like a clueless maniac since he didn't have a clue on what awaited him on this planet. Tim slowly walked behind her, after all, she was his best shot to point out all the basics he had to know before he finally went on his own way. She stopped suddenly and looked back at him.

"Why are you following me for?"

"I don't know where I am and i th-"

"And do I look like a tour guide?"

She interrupted and Tim paused before replying, she was making this talk a lot more difficult then it should be but he knew why she was angry and she had every reason to be.

"Look, I'm sorry.. I didn't mean for all this to happen"

"Yeah? You think your apology is gonna magically fix and undo all of this?"

"...More or less. I mean, uh, plus some actions in addition to those words"

Tim's hand shot up to rub his neck but it bumped into his helmet and he patted it instead.

"You're gonna make up for this. All of it"

She said and got in his face, invading all his personal space and looking threateningly into his mismatched eyes that were now uncovered.

"Ye-Yeah, I'll.. um try to. Just please let me come with you"

Tim stated as he avoided her gaze, wishing she'd step away for now. His wish came true when she stepped back and started walking again, he reluctantly followed her again, thinking if she'd let him follow her to wherever she was going and her words of protest weren't heard as she chose to remain silent. He just hoped wherever she was going wouldn't be more of a hell than he had already encountered.

****

They walked for so long in the desert that Timothy thought his legs would fall off, he looked at Avery and she didn't seem tired. He wondered if she had gotten used to all the walking and the hot sun which was utter hell. Everything around him was sandy and he could've sworn he heard a roar caused by some creature feasting on an unfortunate weaker being, he gulped hard just thinking about how he could become food or a meatbag for some of the horrors that lurked here. It was really a bad place to be, no wonder Jack complained about it all the time. 

"Where are we going?"

Tim asked impatiently.

"Back to my place"

"And... where is your place?"

"It'd be closer if I had that ship. I'd be sitting in air conditioned bliss instead of walking the highway to hell with you"

Tim pressed his lips in a tight line seeing that she wasn't going to let this go anytime soon. He walked next to her and thought about what he had to do now. He was straying further and further from his mission but decided to put it off now til he was in a civilized area so he can think properly about his next move.

"That was strange"

She started to say, glancing in front of her, not even bothering to look at him. Tim was already struggling with how his head felt like it was gonna melt from the heat. The helmet only made it worse, he wished he could just take it off and pour some water on his head.

"What is?"

He asked and fumbled with his helmet, trying to make it looser or at least less hot if there was a way to achieve that.

"How those raiders wanted you dead. Aren't you one of them? I thought that was strange"

Tim stopped walking and moved his eyes towards Avery, she didn't stop. His thoughts ran with all the wild things she must be thinking right now. His cover might've been compromised and he had no backup plan. His hands let go of his helmet and now were on his sides.

"Raiders tend to stick together, fighting against a common enemy and all that so it's not like them to point a gun at one of their own. So how I see this, you had done something so huge that resulted for you to be an unwelcomed outcast. Or, you weren't a raider to begin with and they knew that. So which one of those two are you?"

Avery stopped and turned around to face Tim. He was far back from she was and when she saw that, she let a smirk play on her lips when she saw that he stopped. He hadn't figured out what to say to her but she decided to speak again.

"Either way, you lied to me. So, which is it?"

She pressed on and this time he knew she expected an answer. Tim thought about dancing around the topic.

"I.. realise that I haven't made such a good impression on you"

"Not at all. Which is it"

She enunciated and Tim felt like he was suffocated and saw that Avery head his way, not knowing what to reply he decided to just keep cool and hope this would blow away but part of him had to complain why they were doing this in the middle of nowhere under the scorching sun.

"I'm not a raider. I never meant to lie.. but I just couldn't tell you the truth either. I'm just.. I had a little misunderstanding with the raiders and I just wore this outfit to slip under their radars"

"You murdered a bunch?"

"No! No, no. I just knocked one of them out"

He said casually, keeping a hand on his helmet.

"They're after you because you knocked one of them out?"

"Heh, it's crazy, right?"

He laughed nervously then knew it was a stupid move because her eyes squinted as a response which made Tim more tense.

"You're very strange, you know that? But raider, bandit or even psycho, you still owe me a ship"

"That I do"

"Okay, since we got that cleared up, you can take off that helmet and ridiculous armour"

"I..uh, my skin is sensitive.. and there's lots of sun and.."

He blurted out then trailed off, not knowing what he could add to make this sentence sound even worse.

"Wow! His skin is sensitive!"

She exclaimed then added a laugh before she walked and Tim followed, thinking how long they'd have to walk and when this sun would disappear at least but all he wanted was to sit for at least a few hours and get something cold to drink. She went on to have fun with what he just said for a couple more minutes, she was definitely easy to amuse as her mocking laughs kept coming and Timothy scolded himself for his choice of words for the remainder of the long walk.

 

Tim's muscles were wailing in pain after the long walk they had but at least the sun had disappeared for now. He asked himself why they had to walk for this long and was about to voice his annoyance when Avery stated that they were here. He lifted his head, his mouth open drawing breaths in and out, with eyes half closed he looked at where she meant. It was like a small town. Much smaller than Sanctuary but a town nonetheless or at least he thought it was. They passed buildings and people giving Timothy looks that he didn't like before Avery stopped at the entrance of a bar and walked in. 

He followed and it was much unlike Moxxi's bar. It didn't have lights or anything. It was plain and bland, having only a few tables on top of a dirty floor and a busted up barstand. Only a few men were in there, playing cards loudly. Tim looked at Avery and she was already chatting up to the bartender. 

"You seen Dave around?"

The bartender lowered his sunglasses to get a good look at her before speaking. Timothy wondered if wearing sunglasses indoors was still a douchy move but he wasn't about to ask a man who looks like he could cut him up with his eyes.

"You don't look so well, Aves"

"Did I ask you for your opinion? I asked you if Dave's in"

She said impatiently and leaned in, almost grabbing the man's shirt. Instead he raised an eyebrow and leaned in as well, their faces becoming close together.

"I thought I told you not to come in my bar again if you don't fix that attitude of yours"

"Oh, don't be a dick. You know this is all fun and games. Aw, what's wrong, your panties got into a twist?"

The bartender leaned back into a standing position, making up his mind about the current situation. 

"Get out"

Avery let out a laugh and leaned back, Tim raised both his eyebrows as he watched them go back and forth. Sounds like they were heading out so Tim got ready to leave.

"C'mon, Jerry. You know damn well without me you won't be getting money to buy yourself all these pretty things of yours. I'm a customer and you should always respect your customers, am I right? It's bad business if you keep telling your loyal customers to get out. Now how about me and this guy stay and we'll order some of your good booze and you get to tell me what I wanna know, sound good?"

The man named Jerry looked very irritated before turning around and grabbing a bottle off the shelf. 

"Actually, can I just have water?"

Tim said quietly and saw Jerry look at him for a while before voicing his reply.

"There's a lake that's about 200 miles from here where you can get some water. Now unless you wanna order some alcohol, you can get the fuck outta here"

"Again with the get out, Jerry? You never learn"

Avery stated in utter amusement.

"Because you already drive me crazy, Avery. And now you bring him? Where'd you find this guy?"

"On the moon"

Jerry let out a fake laugh and poured two glasses, Tim made a face and looked at the glass filled with beer and let out a sigh, hoping at least it's cold. He reached and grabbed the glass, remembering that he had the helmet on. He rolled his eyes, loosening his grip around the glass, gently pushing it away with his finger. Avery kept the bartended busy so he was thankful he couldn't see him at the moment.

"So, about Dave?"

"Yeah, he moved his stuff from his old garage after you left to the other one that was abandoned. And that's where he spends his time now. Doing renovations and whatever shit else."

"Now that wasn't so hard, was it?"

Timothy saw that Avery downed her glass in one go and then looked at his glass and drank it for him. He was relieved that she did that since he didn't want to talk to Jerry at all for now. She stood up and left some cash on the stand, followed by a wink to the bartender who donned a grim expression and reached out for his money and turned away. Tim followed Avery when she went out and scanned the area, keeping behind her.

"Now, we got to visit some other dude and we'll call it a night"

"Why can't we call it a night now?"

"We can't call it a night til we finish up this part. Because this part is the important part in your story but let's not spoil it for now, huh, sweetheart?"

Timothy didn't know what scared him more, the vibes he got from what she said or the fact that she called him "sweetheart". Either way, he knew this wouldn't be good.


	10. There Is No "I" In Team

Timothy had followed Avery on another long walk, much to his dismay. But at the bright side, this time it wasn't as far as their first walk. His gaze moved to Avery, she was quiet again. Probably cursing him in her head. Tim rolled his eyes and walked behind her up, thinking about he'd do after finishing up here. He sighed, this obviously wasn't gonna end soon.

They had reached a large garage that had giant letters on it saying "SCOOTER". A man was on the roof, hitting the letters with a large hammer and making the S fall on the ground with a large thud. Avery stopped and put her hand near her mouth to yell at the man.

"Hey, Dave! You wanna kill your guests or what?"

Dave removed his goggles and looked down at them, his features were hard to see in the growing darkness. When he spoke, his voice was deep.

"I didn't hear a ship" 

He simply said and headed for a nearby ladder. Tim found himself gulping and looked over at Avery who seemed out of it, he stepped closer to her just in case.

"Uh, that's.. something happened with the ship"

Dave walked over to the two and finally showed himself under the light. He was a large man and had to be at least 6 feet tall with large arms, he towered over them, looking down at Avery then shooting a look at Tim that didn't sit well with him. He reminded himself that this would end rather quickly if done right. It just occurred to him that perhaps he was the sacrificial lamb in this situation and deeply regretted this.

"What?"

He repeated but Tim knew he had heard her the first time.

"The ship's.. kinda destroyed"

"You destroyed my ship? After all the bullshit you told me that you'd take care of it? You went and had it blown up?"

Dave crossed his large arms in front of his chest. Tim watched them and thought how they looked like barrels. He knew if this man wanted to, he could snap a neck like a toothpick with those large cannons of his. Tim's hand reached his his throat as if to protect it from the scenario he built in his head.

"Some.." she sighed before speaking "Look, some shit happened. The ship went down and it wa-"

"You better not give me a sob story as an excuse"

"It's not a sob story. It-"

He interrupted her again.

"That was the last straw, Avery"

"-wasn't even my fault!"

"It's always your fa-"

"It wasn't! Sir!.." Tim blurted out, instantly regretting it but what use could his outburst be if he didn't continue "Avery did everything she could to keep the ship running but some raiders that chased us were persistent. She's saying the truth, she's a great pilot"

Dave gave him a stern look and headed his way, looking down at him. Tim hesitated to meet his eyes.

"And who might you be?"

"I'm.. I.."

"He's a new guy"

Avery helped fill in the blanks. Tim lifted his head and looked at her, expecting a reaction but she looked away.

"Hmph, In your company? I'll give him a week"

Dave shot him a smug look and finally stepped away, letting Tim be thankful for that.

"I'll make it up to you, Dave"

Avery tried again, seeing that Dave was seemingly getting annoyed with the lack of answers he wanted.

"How? You got 50 grand on you? You always talk the talk but can't walk the walk"

He looked at her and she didn't respond, instead she looked away again as if it was her answer to everything. 

"Well?"

"You know I don't have that much"

She mumbled and Tim's hand went to his pocket, feeling the only stack of cash left on him. He considered giving it to the angry man. Maybe that would cool down his fire for the time being.

"How's that my problem?"

He paused for a while while he leaned against the big letter he knocked down as if he was thinking about the situation.

Fine, how about a deal. 25 grand and maybe something on the side?"

He said slowly while rubbing his chin with one finger. Tim raised an eyebrow at what he said and looked at Avery, she had remained quiet. 

"Which you'll do if you don't pay all the money back"

Tim was about to butt in again but Avery spoke before him.

"You're one nasty bastard, Dave"

"Don't forget that you accepted my conditions before you took my ship and now I'm held back for months because you ruined it for me. I ain't got a ship no more and who's fault is that? The least you could do is that and I'll see that you do"

Tim reached in and grabbed the stack of cash he had left and raised it above his head.

"Avery.. y-uh You forgot about this. You wanted to give it to Dave?"

They both looked back at Tim who shook the cash in his hands then walked to hand the cash to her. She took it, giving him a confused look that washed off quickly from her face when she looked at Dave, playing along with Tim.

"Yeah, here you go. I'll get you the rest soon"

She said and threw it to him. Dave only had to extend his arm to catch the money without moving his body. He examined it and raised an eyebrow at Avery.

"Just 5Gs?"

"Consider that your appetiser for now, the rest is gonna come. You just don't worry that pretty head of yours"

"Two weeks, Avery!"

Avery turned around, not replying to that and started walking back to the town. Tim followed her, looking back at the man who seemed pleased enough with the five grand. He quickly caught up with Avery, feeling relieved that he didn't have to look at Dave anymore. They reached the city quicker than usual and perhaps that was because the both of them wanted to get away as soon as possible. Avery leaned against a building and looked at Tim.

"Why did you do that?"

"He just seemed like a dick. A bully.. I know his sort"

She stared at him then moved some hair from her face, looking away. Tim sighed, he knew his type very well as his eyes looked upwards at Helios.

"I mean, it's for a thank you as well since you.." Tim let out a laugh before continuing "Didn't leave me back in the desert, even thought you wanted to but you didn't. You needed the money more than me"

"Guess I'll have to pay you back"

"No" Tim said quietly "You don't have to pay me back"

She smiled wryly and shook her head, Tim smiled as well.

"I don't know if you're crazy or stupid, giving out money like that"

"Maybe I'm both. I'm stuck here looking like this"

Tim gestured to his body in exaggeration, earning something he wanted to consider a laugh from her. Little did she know he was talking about his face.

"Tim.. right?"

He nodded slowly.

"Don't you ever do that again. In all honesty, I meant to feed you to him but then.. something changed"

"You were going to.. feed me to him?"

Tim's eyebrows shot up as he looked at her, hoping it was all a joke. Avery waved him off as if to tell him to relax.

"You somewhat smoothed the situation with the money you offered and that bought me some good time to get the money. Least that asshole can shut up for now"

"Oh.. uh, that's good I guess. At least no one was.. fed to anyone"

"You're welcome. Now let's get you out of that god awful raider shit. C'mon"

Avery walked again and he followed her to a house that looked old but was still holding. There were some old barrels in front of the house and that was it. She knocked on the door and it took a while before someone answered.

"Who is it?"

A voice said and opened the door slightly, Avery pushed it open and walked inside, ignoring the person standing at the door.

"Spare me your shit today"

Tim stayed back as he wasn't invited in and thought about would it be really rude for him to enter without an invitation? This was Pandora after all. He took a step further and the person who opened the door looked at him like he had a second head. Tim in turn was creeped out and took a step back.

"Ugh, would you let him get up here? It's already a tight fit"

The man seemed like he had given up on life, he had dark circles under his eyes and his hair was a mess. He had a stubble going on like he had given up on how he looked as well. Tim walked up the stairs and was met with a room that had a single sofa and coffee table in the middle of the room and some shelves that had empty bottles of liquor. It told him that some day it held some rare booze- if there was any- for some rich person on Hyperion but now stood in the most horrible shape, housing emptiness. There were other doors that he didn't know what was behind them but Avery came from the other room, falling down on the sofa. 

"So, let's talk business. Since we seem to have gotten along for now and you can play team, let's try that out. I assume you're a good gun or at least that's what I saw. The favour you'll be doing me? You can cash it right now. We just need a job to do right now for the money and I do ne.. ahem.. I could use your help on this because you're all I have right now. Looking for someone else won't help me because I know Dave isn't the generous type when it comes to time. I had this asshole-"

Avery said and gestured at the man who opened the door to which he responded with a middle finger and walked to one of the doors and disappeared behind it.

"-ditch me when I needed him and here is where he rots. Fool's got hooked on the alcohol and can't seem to stop anytime soon. Now that kind of shit doesn't work with me, you can be drunk on your own time but not during a job"

"Job?"

"Yeah, how do you think we're gonna get the money? We do some jobs for some sorry fucks and we're golden. But let me just clarify that it doesn't all come together that smoothly"

That was all stuff that Tim understood but it wasn't answering his question. He decided to try again.

"These jobs.. What are they?"

"Fastest thing to be done so far is as simple as some delivery jobs since my driving skills are my best. Before you get all happy and stuff, I should remind you that this is not gonna be like a pizza delivery. People are gonna pay us because they'd rather not go on those roads themselves"

"So it's suicide"

Tim said it as if the world was always urging him to end his own life instead of throwing himself into these dangerous situations for people.

"You're being dramatic. As long as I've got your back and you've got mine, nothing bad is gonna happen. See, trust is important. That's why I brought you here to just make it clear that since we're working together, I'm not gonna stab you in the back. And to be perfectly clear. It also means that if you stab me in the back, i'll slit your throat with that same blade"

She got up and left that last part lingering in the air between them as Timothy processed that and whether Jack would have a say in this. But a feeling boiled over in his chest, it was very new to him yet exhilarating. It washed over him and as if he was born again, because he just realised that doing this was his own wish and not Jack's. He felt free as a kid rebelling against his parents which was easy to say since he wasn't doing just that, but something more along the lines of that. Avery coming into the room and interrupted his self made victory. She held clothes in her hand that she threw over for Tim.

"So, I didn't know if you still wanted to wear a helmet or not but I got this. Knock yourself out"

She threw a helmet for him that looked like a biker one, much cooler than the raider helmet. He caught then smiled down at it and looked up at Avery, pleased that she had considered the helmet. It was like she felt uncomfortable or something because she looked away.

"Thanks! I really appreciate it"

"Yeah, yeah. Get dressed now so we can get to work"

She said and waved her arm, moving to the window.

"You got it"

Tim said and got up. He grasped his new clothes like a child on Christmas. Maybe the helmet would be more ventilating than the old one. Crossing his fingers for that, he found himself looking at Avery as she stared outside, thankful for the opportunity she gave him. This once in a lifetime opportunity.


	11. Partner

Tim leaned against the sink, gazing at his reflection, visibly grimacing at what stared back at him. But for now he had nothing related to Jack at the moment, not one thought. For as long as those few days lasted, he found himself thinking about him and this mission less and less. He felt the restraints that were around him for so long break looser than before, giving him the feeling that they were no longer there. 

Now he thought about Jack, asking himself the real question here. After all this finishes, would he go back up there? Back to being on a short leash? Back to just getting him coffee and endure his tantrums. All that seemed far away from Tim at the moment. His hands reached up and unhooked the mask that he was forced to wear and looked at Jack's former, unbranded face which was his current prison. He let his head hang low and closed his eyes firmly, trying to imagine his old face but day after day, that image would be a blur. A faded, surreal blur. With a quick movement he knocked the mask to the tiled floor of the bathroom, deciding to leave it there. 

For one last time he looked at his reflection, he was wearing a yellow and black jacket that he left open, underneath it was his Hyperion shirt that he wore inside out to avoid seeing the company's logo, in attempt to shut out that part of his life for now. He kept his shoes and changed his pants to lighter coloured ones. Tim grabbed his helmet and put it on, staring at the mirror, he knew that this part was mostly him. Before he exited the bathroom, he glanced down at the mask, his thoughts raced about what to do with it but then it was all decided for him. He lifted his foot and stomped down on the mask repeatedly, his suppressed anger surfaced in the form of grunts and he found himself mercilessly attacking the mask til it broke in half.

"Hey! You okay? I hope you're not getting too relaxed in there"

Avery said to him from the other side of the door and he became flustered, his anger vanishing. Tim found himself quickly picking up the pieces of the mask and frantically looking around the small bathroom.

"I..No, No. I.. No! I'm not! I'm just getting ready"

He blurted out, turned to the window and pushed it open. There was a dumpster underneath and he knew he could get rid of the mask there, for now he just stuffed the mask pieces in his jacket and made sure everything was in order before he opened the door. 

"It's fine. I mean, at least-"

He opened the door and saw that she was standing in front of the door, looking like she was enjoying herself.

"-clean up after you finish"

"Uh.. No.. I-I didn't do.. that"

"If you say so"

She lifted an eyebrow at him, a mocking smile taking place on her lips.

"So.. What's the plan today"

Tim desperately changed the subject, making her face lose its smile as she sighed and turned around. He noticed that she changed into a black tank top with a jacket tied around her waist that flowed down to the back of her knees. The only things she kept were her buckled boots.

"Yeah, we're gonna fish out some customers"

"How are we gonna do that?"

"I know a place"

****

Tim should've known that they'd go back to Jerry's bar. It was always a bar and bartenders always know everything about everyone and anything. The info wheel was moving and someone had to keep track of all that, the wheel moved even faster with alcohol. Everyone knew that. Avery sat down and lifted two fingers, keeping quiet for now. Tim sat next to her and glanced her way, she kept her hands together as she stared at the bottles Jerry kept on display. He obliged and poured two glasses, Timothy watched him fill them up before turning around and putting the bottle away.

"I wonder why you bother to get two glasses since this helmet wearing weirdo doesn't even take it off to drink. Do you want a straw, hotshot?"

He said mockingly at Tim who ignored his remark.

"Just leave the bottle"

Avery spoke, something off about her tone but Tim couldn't know what exactly.

"Can you pay for the bottle?"

Jerry responded with a smug look on his face, clutching the bottle as if it was a bar of Eridium. Tim looked over at Avery, knowing she won't like that.

"Why don't you mind your own damn business. I'm not in the mood"

"Just get her the bottle, we'll pay"

Tim interjected, hoping that would settle it. He gained a look from Jerry as he cleaned some glasses with a cloth.

"Seems like the new lapdog has gained some confidence"

He sneered at the body double while resting the bottle under his arm til he finished cleaning this glass.

"I'm not a lapdog!"

Tim said in annoyance. In a swift uncontrolled move, he stood up and found himself snatching the bottle from Jerry, much to the cheeky bartender's surprise. When he had realised what he had just done, he looked at the bottle in disbelief then back at Jerry who was angry and put down the glasses, starting to cuff up his sleeves.

"Enough. Here"

Avery said and put down dollar bills for him to pay for the bottle. Jerry looked down at the money and scoffed.

"Nice try. But it costs more than that"

He told Avery who furrowed her eyebrows at him in displeasure.

"Since when does it cost more?"

The bartender leaned in before he spoke.

"Since I haven't restocked in a while. This and along with a few others are the last I have right about now and I gotta save it for the well paying customers but since you and I go way back, this is the price for you. Besides, I gotta wait for the shipment but it ran late"

He paused and turned to Tim, a taunting grin on his face.

"Maybe then I might sell some water for you, big boy. Come visit me"

He laughed and headed to serve some other customers. Tim made a face that he knew Jerry wasn't seeing. He felt himself getting irritated and wanted to respond, now hugging the bottle.

"Well..Bite me, you.. dick"

Jerry's head snapped in his direction, putting down the bottle and heading over to Tim. He leaned in to face Tim's helmet, he didn't like the face was on him right now.

"What did you just say to me?"

Before Tim could open his mouth, Avery answered for him.

"He called you a dick, you know why? Because you are a dick. Now how about you just leave us for now? We don't want to cover your pretty bar with blood and teeth. So let's save you a week of cleaning and just cut to the chase. Leave the bottle and we'll cut you a deal"

Tim moved his head to look at Avery, wondering what was on her mind. Jerry still breathing on his helmet face shield. Tim made a disgusted face and moved back a little wanting to get away from him. The other man finally moved and seemingly turned some things over in his head.

"Huh, cut me some slack. A deal? Like the one you cut Dave?"

"That was a one time mess up that I will fix, okay?"

"You know he'll kill you, right? You can't sway a guy like him"

"I know, okay? I got this handled, thank you so much for your concern, asshole. Now you wanna hear me out or you wanna go dry?"

"Watch it, Avery. You're starting to piss me off"

Tim swore he could've seen a vein bulging in the bartender's head with how much rage he was radiating at Avery. She had a smirk on her face and Tim could feel she had something on her mind. 

"Oh, really? Because if you piss me off, i'll go deliver that shipment of booze over to Moxxi's. Sure she'd love my kind gesture and even pay me unlike some cheap bastard. Now I don't think you're in the position to risk selling that dirty water and risking that spotless reputation of yours. Now you're probably wondering where do I fit in this. How much are you willing to pay to get that shipment first?"

Tim had a confused look on his face that was thankfully concealed. Sell stuff to Moxxi? Was he even allowed to meet her?

"You're bluffing. It's already on the way"

"Last I checked it goes through The Dust, ain't that right? And I may be a screw up but everyone knows I'm the best damned driver here and maybe I just feel like going there right now, I'm totally in the mood to get baked in the sand. Now how much you wanna bet that It's a bluff?"

"You wouldn't dare"

Avery leaned in, getting in his face. Tim couldn't help but wonder if it was a bluff. He looked over at Jerry who seemed to be irritated as he processed what he wanted to say next.

"Well, then. I'll be talking to Moxxi" 

Avery said and got up, reaching to get the glass she was poured and gulped it down. With a gesture to Tim, he got up from the barstool.

"Wait.. I'll pay more than that bitch. It's enough that she's got so many customers because she wears clothes that are two sizes too small that make her tits look like they're gonna pop out any minute and I'm pretty sure half of them are waiting for that to happen"

"Or maybe her bar looks better than this dump"

Tim added, glad to shut him up with facts. It was true and he had a feeling he knew it. Avery shrugged and looked at Tim then his full glass. 

"You little asshole" He pointed an angry finger at Tim "I'll have you know my bar is meant for men. Real men" He looked back at Avery "I'll pay you 500 for a barrel"

"Moxxi already has it at 900"

"Then I'll pay a thousand, goddammit. But let me tell you this, I'll get you for this"

"Get me then, I'm right here. Let's get to work. Now, sweetheart, the public would be thankful that you won't grow some tits to compete with Moxxi. Oh, and as a thank you, We'll be taking this"

Avery gestured to the bottle Tim was holding, grabbing Tim's glass and drinking it so far, some of it streamed down the corner of her mouth. After she finished, she put it down and walked away.

"C'mon, Tim"

He followed her, chuckling to himself at the silence of Jerry. He was thankful he stopped talking and they stepped out under the sun. Their first job made Tim feel excitement, mostly because of toying with Jerry. He disrespected Moxxi and that's never a good thing.

"How long do I have to drink your share"

Avery said and turned around to face Tim, looked up at him and rested her hands on her hips.

"I'm sorry.."

"No.. ugh. I mean, c'mon. That's money. I don't like drinking alone"

"I can't really drink with the helmet.."

"Right. Your helmet"

She nodded and Tim watched her walk, not knowing what was that supposed to mean. He followed her home but stopped before walking inside, remembering the mask in his jacket. Tim made sure she went upstairs first before he ran to the side of the building and discarded the mask quickly. He pulled the dumpster lid down and put a hand to his chest and walked to the door, jogging up the stairs to follow her. She had settled on the couch, Tim looked at the man's room and the door was closed.

"Uh.. You okay?"

"I'm fine. I'm just crunching some numbers here. This might be a good start and I have something cooked up but I need you to do what I tell you, can you do that?"

Tim nodded and Avery seemed with pleased with that. She stood up and walked over to him.

"We can do this. Look, I should warn you. Jerry's a dirty little pig so we might find some difficulty but I know you can handle it"

"I can"

"I need you to watch my back because this might get messy"

"As long as you watch mine"

"You got it.. partner"

Avery smirked and nodded at him. Tim was more than ready to go head on with whatever they had to face just for the sake of getting back at Jerry. Step number one, make him regret being a dick to him. 

"You did good over there"

"Thanks. I don't know what his deal is? I hate him?"

"Half this town does but then again, he's the only bar around here and as far as people are concerned, booze is booze"

"I assume that's true"

"C'mon, we don't have much time"

"Lead the way.. partner"

Avery slapped his shoulder playfully and walked out, Tim stood back and rubbed where she slapped, watching her disappear down the stairs before following her, getting ready to rock and roll.


	12. Booze Cruise

Tim leaned back on the seat and looked out the window, watching the hills of sand and junk litter the scenery which wasn't much either way. He knew he had to keep his guard up in case the truck was sighted to get on the turret if needed and that would be the smart thing but he put off being burned alive by the sun on this planet. He turned his head to look at the woman driving and saw that she kept her focus whenever she was behind a wheel and that had to be respected. She rarely looked at him even when she spoke, her eyes watching the road in front of her. Always alert. Always awake.

"We're getting close to the usual route, keep your eyes open"

She said to him. He nodded but knew she wanted a verbal answer.

"Got it"

"I'd watch myself if I were you"

She added, her hands reaching for the radio and switching it on to some rock music. Tim furrowed his eyebrows at the song but he had to admit it wasn't that bad. 

"I will. You too"

"Oh, don't you worry about me. I smell some fun"

She pursed her mouth into a satisfied smirk and hit the acceleration when catching the truck in front of them. The car speeding towards it to get their loot, Tim climbed up to the turret, getting in position. But before they could reach it, another Technical jumped in front of them, blocking their way to the truck.

"They've got back up!"

Tim shouted down at her, putting his hand up to see clearly how many people were there. They had a large barrel on the top of their vehicle. Avery stopped the car suddenly and Tim was nearly launched forwards if it wasn't for his grip on the handles.

"Whoa!"

"That ain't back up! That's Jerry playing dirty. That little rat, I knew he'd do this. Change of plans, Timmy boy! We're going full throttle on those assholes. I'll avoid the barrels and you handle this little problem, you up for that?"

"I.. I guess!"

He yelled back at her, positioning himself properly on the turret and getting ready for the mess Avery had mentioned beforehand. She pushed on the acceleration and rushed forwards again, speeding to catch up with the truck. Tim started to shoot and they countered with an explosive bullet and Avery managed to avoid as she saw it coming, she took a turn to avoid the explosion radius. Tim found himself thinking about the explosive barrels, they weren't grenades therefore they lacked the trigger but he found himself holding one trigger he could use and slowly aimed for the catapult, waiting for his one chance. Their offence move was soon digistructed and Tim shot at the barrel, making it explode and the car falling to its side. Avery avoided the crash swiftly and caught up with the truck.

"Fuckin' A, Tim!"

"Haha, thanks. I mean.. It was all you"

"Aw, don't make me blush now"

She said with a laugh, driving close to the truck. Tim slowly lifted himself from the turret and held himself in place with the handles on the side of the Technical they were driving, ready to now jump at the moving truck. A move he personally considered crazy and doubted his survival. Avery kept the car steady as much as she could but he felt himself hesitating, he held the bars so tight that his knuckles turned white and imagined himself ending under the massive tires of the truck. He only had only one shot and he had to perfect that, his life very much depending on it.

"Tim!"

She called for him when she saw that he didn't go for the jump yet. Tim felt a shiver run down his spine, pressure was never motivational to him. He gulped hard and looked at the ground underneath him.

"Tim?! Jump goddammit!"

"I..I'm trying!"

"You need to jump right now!"

Tim now had second thoughts about the plan, why couldn't she jump? Maybe she could've done it better than him but now it was just him trying to jump onto a moving truck. He knew better not to take longer or they'll lose this chance. The chance to get back at someone who wronged him felt good to him, remembering the reasons he was doing this washed his body with a new sense of faith in his abilities. He had killed a goddamn Vault monster, this was a piece of cake to him. A bitter cake that tasted of death but cake nonetheless. He took the jump, holding onto the side of the truck.

"Okay! I'm counting on you!"

Tim climbed around the massive truck, getting to the passenger's door. He held on to the side and opened the door to get inside to deal with the driver. He was greeted with a barrel of a gun to his face and managed to duck in time and retreated to the side of the truck before his head was blown to bits.

"Avery! He has a gun!"

"Of course he has a gun. They always have a gun. Just handle it!"

Tim was thankful he was wearing the helmet because the rushing wind on his face would've gave him trouble concentrating. He climbed on top, trying to be quiet and noticed for the first time that Avery had split her attention between the road and him. He grabbed his gun and climbed slowly to the other side and gave her a nod. She pressed the brakes, understanding what he meant and headed over to the passenger's side, pulling her upper body out the window to wave at the driver.

"Hey, there! Over here, ugly! Yeah! Got an order for ya!"

She flashed him her middle finger and the driver took a shots at her and Tim lifted his head to check if she was hurt, when he saw she wasn't, he felt relieved to go on with the plan. He opened the door, pulling the man from his shirt and throwing him out the truck, his thoughts racing about how he found the strength to do that to the man. Tim pulled his body in the driver's seat, slipping his leg in to take care of the acceleration but the man had grabbed on to his other leg and pulled him out with him. Tim quickly grabbed the steering wheel but with the man's weight caused the car to take a sharp left. He knew at this rate the truck could crash into something and slowly grabbed the door in an effort to keep himself attached to the truck. He moved his other leg to give him leverage and kicked the man's face with a loud grunt, giving it all he had but that wasn't enough so he tried again. A gun was shot and he felt his leg getting loose from the man's grip. It was Avery who had came to the other side, her hand extended and held a gun. She flashed him a smile and he wished she could see him smiling back. Now was no time for that though, he had climbed back in the car and gained control of the truck. 

"Now let's get this baby back to that lowlife for our money"

Avery said and turned. Tim followed her lead and felt thankful that this wasn't Elpis and that this car won't float in midair. They drove back to town and parked the truck in front of Jerry's bar and killed the ignition. Avery had already gotten out and had her hands on her hips, Tim took the keys and got out of the truck. Jerry had noticed the massive truck parked in front of his bar and came out with an expression that matched the one Tim had imagined he'd see. 

"So? We got you the booze. And ten barrels and if my calculations are correct, that'd be ten grand"

"I-I didn't think you'd.. but ten? C'mon, Aves.."

He said, his tone not as confident as before.

"What's the matter, Jer?" She retorted "Don't like the price? And I made a discount just for you"

Avery said with a smirk, leaning against the truck. Tim stood next to her as he enjoyed how they'd made Jerry squirm.

"There's always the lovely miss Moxxi"

Timothy reminded him and Jerry shot him a dirty look, clearly not too happy about this newcomer mocking him in front of his customers. He gestured for them to follow him, Tim walked but Avery stepped in front of him and held up her hand, pointing to the truck. He nodded and she walked inside. Tim smiled and waited for her to come back, she did with a large bag and Tim saw that Jerry had walked out again, the look of a loser suited him. He threw the key at the bartender.

"You're welcome"

He said and followed Avery away from the bar, this stunt had felt strange. His was pumping on pure adrenaline and knew it was what made him feel this good and this new feeling was intoxicating to him, he had no idea why it was. What he just did wasn't new to him. He'd exploded cars and killed people back then as well but as he struggled to figure out the difference, he saw something drip on the ground. It was crimson and seemed almost black when it settled. Tim looked at Avery and saw she clutched her arm while she walked, her fingers stained slightly with what he knew was blood. His eyes widened and he hadn't even noticed it. He was too busy with Jerry to notice her arm and that bothered him.

"Avery, hey. Your arm"

She stopped but didn't look back at him. He walked ahead and went to grab the bag she was holding but she moved her arm, making a sharp inhaling sound.

"Just let me car-"

"No. I got it"

She said sternly and he knew she was too stubborn to let him argue with her. Tim frowned his eyebrows and looked ahead, seeing the building she called home in front of them. He let out a breath and slowly followed her inside. Once in, she went to her room and closed the door, he walked to her room, thoughts racing if he could help. Tim looked around for anything he could use as a cloth but was unlucky. The pieces he could find were dirty and he wouldn't use them for bandaging a wound but the door was opened and he turned around to see Avery still holding her arm but without the bag which he assumed she put away.

"You need to sterilise that or bandage it at least"

He told her and looked around for alcohol to help with the wound and his eyes fell on the bottle they'd brought the other day. Tim reached to grab it.

"Please don't tell me you wanna sterilise this flesh wound with that"

His eyes shifting from the woman in front of him to the bottle he wanted to grab. She walked over and grabbed the bottle but instead, raised it to her lips and taking a long swig.

"That's how you use it"

"But.."

"Goddammit, you whine too much. This is just a flesh wound"

"Are you okay... Though?"

She seemed taking aback by the question, her eyebrows shooting up as if he had said something outrageous. But she quickly shook the surprised expression from her face, taking another long swig from the bottle. 

"It's hard to read you while you're wearing that thing"

She said instead and held the bottle up to him. Tim reluctantly grabbed the bottle and casually pointed to his helmet and put it down on the coffee table. Avery picked up a cloth from the sofa and used this as an opportunity to patch herself up, much to Tim's displeasure but he chose to remain silent.

"Is your face really worth covering it up? Is it that bad?"

"You have no idea how bad it is"

"Sounds like a real nightmare"

"Yeah... A nightmare"

There was uncomfortable silence between them. Tim was about to go out for some air but Avery finally spoke, stopping him.

"You know you can go now"

"Go? Go where?"

"To wherever you wanted to go. You held up to your part of the deal and I appreciate that. So you're free to go. I won't stop you. Thank you for your services"

Tim saw her eyes on the bottle on the table, as if addressing it but then she looked at him, thinking if she was avoiding eye contact at first. 

"You don't have to stop me. Because I... have nowhere to go"

"But you had places to go? I don't get it"

"I did. At first. For a long time I felt like I was a dead man walking, I was just going along with life but I wasn't living, everything just... "

He trailed off and his hand reached over to his shoulder to rub it. He wasn't supposed to talk about this but this was the first real opportunity he got to act like himself. Not like Jack. Just him, if he even remembered how that was. It felt good to tell this to someone, it felt good to talk. He hoped she would listen a while longer.

"And now, even with the madness going on. I felt more alive than ever. Lots of shit I can't undo has happened. People I barely know had decided my future and cast me aside like I was nothing and I just went with that, putting everything behind me and stupidly dedicating myself for their causes and their causes alone. I buried any need to pay attention to my own away for a facade of compliance to my superior. So.. If you don't mind.. I could just stay here.. If you let me of course"

Avery was silent for a while and she didn't take another swig of the bottle on the table. Tim eagerly waited for her to make up her mind, not knowing what to do as he just stood in front of her, thinking if she needed more reasons for letting him stay.

"Do you want money? Is that why you're sticking around?"

"No! You don't even have to pay me. Not even for that cash I paid Dave. Nothing. I expect nothing from you.. Except of course letting me stay here"

"Wow. You wanna stay in this dump and for free too? You're really a piece of work"

Tim smiled behind his helmet. She didn't know that this dump was better than the heaven that was Helios. At least here he was not bound by anyone and did whatever he wanted. Avery glanced at him with a quizzical look on her face before she let out a breath, giving up on his reasons why.

"Ah, what the hell. You can stay. But you do one wrong move and I'll shoot you without hesitation"

"Thank you!"

Tim never saw himself getting happy at a threat before in his life but then another life changing topic crossed his mind and knew he had to talk now since he had the chance.

"I, uh, expect one thing though"

"What is it"

She with in a bland tone as if she knew this was coming.

"Can I not sleep on the sofa anymore? I mean, it's great for sitting and all but not so great for my back"

He held a hand to his back and stretched it slightly to prove his point and Avery remained silent for a while.

"Well, if you wanna discuss beds, talk to Simon"

"I'll talk to... Simon?"

"He's the dude living here. The drunk dude"

"Oh.. Yeah, I'll be sure to bring it up"

He nodded and brought his hand up to helmet. Avery glanced over at him and pushed the bottle closer to him and then got up.

"Here, you could have a drink yourself. I'll leave you to it"

She got up and walked to her room, closing the door gently behind her. That was all she offered after letting him stay here. He wished she would stay some more and talk to him but the circumstances never provided that chance and he could now see that it wasn't coming. At least now he could live the way he wanted, convincing himself that this was what he had expected in this new planet he was coming to know where only violence reigned. He knew for a fact that there was no changing that but what he would focus on changing was himself.


	13. Night Lights

A few days have passed without any job popping up on their doorstep like that previous one which led to Avery being frustrated and had spent time between going out and locking herself in her room. The days passed slowly but he felt himself getting relaxed and used to just doing nothing. He frequented Jerry's bar often at night when the lighting was dim and he could enjoy a drink on his own and between that and taking it easy, Tim felt content.

He had come back from a day spent around town, checking how his environment was. When he finally got home, thinking that he would be greeted by a potential job when he opened the door. But no, It was just the man named Simon sitting on the couch, enjoying a cigarette with the warm company of a bottle he brought over. 

"Is.. Is Avery here?"

Tim decided to ask the man.

"No"

"Okay.. Uh, I'll- Thanks for that. I'll go now"

"No"

Tim stopped, not sure how he'd react to this. He didn't know where to put his hands and just decided to fold it in front of his chest. He was going to voice his opinion on why he was receiving that answer.

"Stay" he said "It's nice to drink with someone"

Tim stood near the doorway, not gathering a firm opinion about the man sitting in front of him. But as he looked on and waited for an answer, Tim faintly nodded and sat on the couch next to him.

"So, where'd you come from?"

"Uh.. Elpis"

Tim said. He gained a look from Simon that made him wish he hadn't stayed. After all, what did he know about him? Nothing expect Avery was pissed as hell at him for a reason he still didn't know.

"You don't sound like you're from there"

Simon said calmly, taking another swig from his bottle, making Tim found himself wondering if this place had any glasses.

"It's doesn't matter where I'm from since I'm never going back"

"Hear, hear"

Simon said, lifting the bottle up and toasting the words the body double had spoken. Tim chuckled and put his hands together, leaning forward. He looked at the mess of a man that was in front of him. Simon was not a large man nor was he a small one, he had messy blonde hair and his face still tainted with dark circles under his eyes that Tim knew made him look years older than he already was. He knew that very well.

"So, Avery said you'll be staying here?"

Tim glanced over at him but didn't speak. Simon let out a laugh and leaned back, moving the bottle in a circular motion.

"She didn't tell me directly but I heard"

"Yeah, I'll be staying" Tim looked around before speaking, scanning the room quickly with his eyes "It's not much but I'm not greedy"

"You have to be greedy sometimes. This planet forces you to. You'll be put in a situation where greed will dominate your senses. Be it your urge to put your life over someone else's or stealing supplies from some sad fucks just to see another shitty day on Pandora. It's just how it is. No order. Not now. Not ever. Even if Handsome Jack claims he'll bring order, to me he's just a delusional nutcase who doesn't know the reality of the situation"

"I.. guess. But this isn't one of the times"

Simon took a long swig from the bottle, nearly emptying it in one go but he stopped as the heavy realisation of parting with the comfort of alcohol dawned on him. He set the bottle down and looked at Tim. The body double knew he saw something familiar in his eyes when he saw them.

"Oh, shit. I forgot to share. I'm sorry it's not much. Haha, not much for drinking with company"

He chuckled and offered him the bottle, finishing the cigarette in his hand.

"No, it's okay. I can't anyways with this"

Tim smiled behind his helmet and pointed to it.

"Why don't you take it off?"

"I don't like people seeing my face. It's just better this way"

Simon pursed his lips while he looked at the helmet. A little too long for Tim's comfort.

"Uh, can I ask you something?"

Tim asked him.

"Shoot"

Simon said and put out his cigarette on a bowl he had been using as an ashtray. Tim clasped his fingers together.

"It's a personal question"

"Okay, let's hear it"

"You.. and Avery? You work together?"

"We did"

"Did? So not anymore?"

Simon scoffed and gestured to himself as an answer.

"Isn't it obvious? She doesn't trust me around equipment and insults me whenever she can. Said I'm a danger to myself and to others while under the influence of alcohol. So I just stay here since she doesn't ask me to go with her on jobs anymore"

"So.. can't you just stop drinking during jobs?"

Tim said.

"I could. But I don't want to. I shouldn't go on these jobs and I don't think I wanna die in the middle of the desert or this shit place. But unfortunately I don't have the luxury of choosing where to croak"

"So.. why don't you leave? Go somewhere better?"

Simon laughed heartily and leaned back in the couch. Tim raised his eyebrows.

"You're really not from around here, man. Somewhere better? Where?"

"... Sanctuary, for example?"

Tim said it in a low voice and Simon shot up an eyebrow at what he said.

"Sanctuary..." He repeated "I'm not gonna be welcome"

"They're not letting people in? I heard Roland wants people there to be safe from Jack and-"

"They do. But you see, Sanctuary is a city of saints. I've been on the demons' side for far too long that I just won't fit in. I'm better off here and if this alcohol kills me before some other asshole does then that's a bonus. I've seen everything there is to see, there's nothing more this life can do for me"

"W-why.. you deserve a chance just as much as the others. You're just killing yourself this way"

Tim said, voicing his opinion. He furrowed his eyebrows at the shaded version of Simon that the helmet let him see.

"Yeah.." Simon said and apparently made up his mind to drink the remainder of the bottle "That's the idea. What was the thing you said? Dead man walking? Turns out you and me aren't so different after all. I just don't have the courage to pull the trigger"

Tim's expression softened, knowing fully well he can't see his face. At moments like this, he wished people could see his face instead of their own reflection staring back at them, judging them and seeing the worst of themselves each time they looked at the image. He knew that well. Too well. 

"Simon-"

Tim started but was interrupted by the door being opened. He saw it was Avery and she walked in, putting down a box of pizza in front of both men but said nothing. Tim saw her eyes darting to the bottle, becoming dark when she saw it.

"I brought food"

"Th-"

Tim began to say.

"Glad it's not skag meat"

Simon said, interrupting Tim and opened the box, claiming a slice as his own.

"You drank all this by yourself?"

Avery held the empty bottle up, furrowing her eyebrows at Simon.

"Nah, the new guy helped. Hey, what's your name again?"

"...Tim"

"Yeah, Tim and I had some guy time with a few drinks. Ain't that right?"

Simon nudged Tim's shoulder and made him nod. Avery looked at Tim. Her eyes narrowing at him as if throwing some kind of judgement on him that he paid no mind to. It was one of the moments where he was thankful he had a helmet.

"A few drinks"

Tim said, letting out a nervous laugh in an attempt to sound casual.

"Alright then"

She put down the bottle and walked over to Simon, snatching the box of cigarettes from him and retreating to her room.

"I knew I smelled smoke, Simon"

She said before slamming the door. Simon's shoulders shot up as a response and he smiled while chewing on the pizza.

"She told me not to smoke a few days ago and well, sometimes a good ole smoke does the job. She'll just nag and nag. Honestly, my hangover does enough already"

Tim looked at Simon enjoying the pizza. He half expected him not to have an appetite but then again, a prisoner on death row would still enjoy every meal like it was his last. Tim envied him for that as he stared at the pizza in his hand, his stomach not as hungry as he had hoped. But he knew he had to eat.

He had finished two slices and chatted with the other man. When he finished his slice he noticed that there were a few slices left and wondered if Avery had anything to eat. He closed the box at the same time that Simon extended his hand to take another slice.

"Hey! What gives?"

"I'll just see if Avery ate"

"Ugh.. fine but if she didn't and I discover that you ate them, I'll murder you"

Tim laughed off the threat, he never thought he would ever do that. He picked up the box, heading over to Avery's room. He lifted his hand and knocked two times.

"If it's you, Simon. You can fuck off before I come out and kick your ass"

"It's Tim"

There was a pause from the other side.

"Come in"

Tim opened the door and remained outside, not seeing here from the limited view he had from slightly opened door.

"Oh, for Christ's sake"

Avery pulled the door open, looking at Tim's helmet but he knew she only saw her reflection.

"What?"

She asked.

"I didn't see you eat so.. I thought you might be hungry. Here you go"

He said a little quickly. Mentally kicking himself for that, he hoped she had understood that.

"I'm not"

She said, folding her arms in front of her chest.

"You have to eat something"

"I said, I'm not hungry"

"You look flushed, Avery" Tim pressed on "I know you might be stressed because of everything but you need to eat. I'll just stand here til you eat"

"Just eat the damn pizza, Aves. I think he's serious and you'll never get rid of him"

"Shut up, Simon" Avery snapped at the man on the couch who responded with his hands shooting up in a calming gesture and turned her sights to Tim, rolling her eyes and closing the door in his face.

Tim raised his eyebrows, not expecting this reaction. He just stood there in front of her door while Simon laughed a little, just quiet enough to not attract her out again.

"Well, that's Avery for you"

"No.. it's-" Tim started but looked at the closed door again before walking over to the back of the couch, leaning on it.

"This money thing. It's worrying her"

"I'd be worried"

Simon said, shrugging his shoulders. Tim leaned on the back of the couch, holding the pizza box with both hands in front of him.

"Do you think he'll really kill her?"

"Not right away"

"What do you mean?"

"Dave's just the type of guy that likes to toy with a person, pushing them to their limit before he finally kills them"

"But.. We.. We can't let that happen to her"

"What's there to do, buddy? He's asking for a shitload of cash. Cash that she doesn't have and she knows fully well she didn't have and well, time's running out"

Tim stood up straight, feeling a familiar feeling of anger invade his chest and making him breathe more heavier than usual. He looked at the man under him, furrowing his eyebrows at that.

"What's there to do? I can't believe you'll just sit here rotting in all that booze while your former work associate is threatened by such a man!"

Simon's head turned towards his direction and the look on his face was an unpleasant one. He got up from the couch and faced Tim. The only thing separating the men was the couch. Tim felt startled with his movement and he took one step back just to be sure.

"Why you gotta be like that, dude. I was just starting to like you"

Simon said, shrugging slightly. Tim clutched the pizza tighter without him knowing, his body reacting on its own.

"You know, Tim, the things you say are just hilarious. Work associate? I haven't heard anyone say such a thing in a long time"

"Uh..thanks"

"Don't mention it"

Simon said, offering a smile before extending his hands to grab Tim's shirt, pulling him closer to his face in such a speed that it shocked Tim.

"Don't speak of shit you know nothing about, okay? I'd be careful at where you're treading if I were you. Because you don't know me and I sure as hell don't know you. Do you see me poking at your personal life?"

Tim tried to get out of his grip but it was surprisingly strong. Simon noticed him squirming and slowly let go, gently smoothing the other man's now wrinkled shirt.

"It was unfortunate what happened to her and how she got in this mess. But.. you remember what I said about greed? Well, this is the time for it now"

Tim pushed Simon's hands off him with his free hand and stepped back. Simon's hands now hung on his side and his expression was no longer annoyed. 

"I've been around enough greed to know that it accomplishes nothing but misery for everyone around. It destroys you. I came here and vowed to be different than that. I can be better than that. I know I can"

"Hate to break it to ya but this planet will bring you down when you go swinging hope like that"

"You said it yourself, Simon. You don't know me"

Tim straightened his jacket and stepped back. It was better to keep his distance for now as he was still processing how it led to this. Simon's lips curved in a humourless smile.

"You're right. I don't know you"

Simon said in a low voice before taking out a cigarette and settling back on the couch. Tim breathed out and looked at the pizza box in his hands. It was crumpled on one end as a result of his clash with Simon. He moved back to Avery's door and knocked one time but this time he opened the door slowly and walked in. The room was a mess and smelled heavily of smoke, Avery was laying on the bed, facing the wall. Tim slowly walked in, leaving the box on a chair next to her bed, taking care not to step on anything to not wake her. He moved back, taking a last look on the room before leaving.

"Night, Avery.. sleep well"

Tim whispered to the room and finally walked out, closing the door behind him. Simon looked back at him when he exited and made his way to couch and sat down next to him.

"Hey, Simon?"

Tim said and looked at the other man, thinking if it would be okay to talk as if nothing happened. He decided to deal with this cautiously.

"What is it this time?"

His response wasn't angry. Perhaps he had let it go.

"I was wondering if I could use the bed in your room?"

"Who told you I had an extra bed in my room?"

Tim opened his mouth to answer but Simon raised a hand to silence him.

"Wait, don't answer that"

"So, can I? This couch isn't really comfortable"

"Well, not at the moment. I'm using it"

Tim scanned his face for a while before replying, looking for signs of him joking.

"But.. don't you.. like...have two?"

"Yeah, but not now. It's occupied by some of my stuff. It's gonna take a while to tidy"

Simon said and leaned back, his feet were now on the coffee table in front of him.

"Maybe I can tidy it for you?"

"Heh, that's a generous offer, I gotta say but I don't want you touching my stuff. I'll tell you when I clean it up. Probably will be a while but at least you'll get a bed. Til then, I'm afraid you gotta have the couch"

"I guess so.. It's fine"

Tim said, twisting his lip in annoyance. He glanced at the couch, dreading the thought of sleeping on this thing again.

"Good. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go to Jerry's for a nightcap"

Simon said and walked out the door, closing it behind him. Tim leaned back on the couch then laid down, looking at the ceiling. He thought about what Simon said and let it run through his mind for now. Greed, anger and self destruction was the recipe that made Handsome Jack what he is now. He wanted it all and it cost him everything but he was yet to know that sooner or later but Tim knew the way he wanted to go and no amount of talk would change that and definitely not after the past few days. The path he walked on proved more difficult than he thought but he would keep going as his eyes closed, drifting into deep sleep.


	14. Trust Me

Tim yawned and looked out the passenger's window of the Technical that Avery was driving. Sudden work was a priority but as far as today was going, sleep was a priority as well.

Avery drove in silence and without barking any orders. Something was definitely up with that, he found himself looking at her and wondered whether she had eaten or not. It was essential for her to eat since not eating will prove no use at all. Tim sighed and moved his hand to his back, rubbing it slowly, blaming Simon for the bad sleep he had on that old couch.

"Where are we going?"

Tim asked after he felt the ride take a bit longer than he had expected but really, what did he know about this planet?

"Somewhere in the Highlands. We've got some potential customers"

"Delivery too?"

"You'll see"

She said, letting that thought float between them. Uncertainty pooled in his chest as he found himself looking out the window again. The scenery was changing from scorched sand to green hills and grass. Tim moved up in his seat, looking around this new area. It looked spectacular and was nothing like the other places on Pandora, the sun was still as hot though, as if trying to scorch it like the other places. Avery stopped the car near a bridge and they both got out, Tim followed her lead and suddenly something came whizzing near his helmet and he turned his head slowly to look at what it was and saw it was a large spike. He jumped in surprise and looked around, his hand finding his gun on his hip holster but not finding the assailant. 

"Careful. There are stalkers around"

"Wh-"

A creature with a dragon-like appearance lunged towards Tim but before any action could be done in response, but Avery managed to get a shot at it before it did anymore damage to the frightened body double.

"They travel in groups so more should be nearby, but let's work on avoiding that"

Stalkers. That rung a bell, he knew it did. Back on Helios when Jack had him kill a giant one for a stupid key. It was not one of his fond memories but yet again, what fond memories did he have on Helios and with Jack? Thinking of Jack now, he hadn't called in a while and Tim was fully considering hacking the comm so that he could get off his radar for while. One thing was for certain, he wasn't going back there. His eyes found the giant space station and never knew seeing it from here would make him believe that maybe he could actually be free. The unsettling feeling in his stomach alerted him to reality, how getting away from Jack might not be as easy as he was convincing himself of. 

"Hey, snap out of it, Tinkerbell"

Avery said, looking a bit annoyed.

"Uh, sorry.. yeah"

"This is serious, so I'd be very thankful if you quit daydreaming on the job"

She said, maintaining eye contact. Her features remained firm when she spoke to Tim. He knew then she was back to normal. If he even knew what that was like. He decided just to nod and bow his head, even though he was aware that his face was concealed from her. 

"Pull it together, okay? And I'll do the talking"

She said in a whisper all of a sudden. He heard a car stop nearby and knew whoever they were meeting with has showed up. He lifted his head, looking at the new company that was now approaching. They looked like the common bandits he had been fighting, if not worse. Three men approached Avery, scanning her like she was their prey. Tim wondered how dangerous these guys were, at least on Elpis he wasn't required to deal with these people directly and certainly no talking was done unless with a gun in hand shooting at each other til the crimson indicator of a hit. It was at this moment that Tim's sense of caution had went up to new heights, his hands dropped to his side in case that he needed to use an emergency pullback strategy. It bothered him that he was thinking like Jack. But he would postpone that to another time, for now his fight-or-flight kicked in.

Looking back at Avery, he wondered if this was the company she kept and worked with. Meeting Dave made that crystal clear. His attention shifted back to the current situation as one of the men decided to talk. He stood in the middle and looked like he ran the show. Tim hung back and remained silent.

"Where's Simon? I don't see him"

He asked, looking around.

"He's not here"

Avery said, causing the man to turn his eyes to her in what Tim assumed was dissatisfaction.

"He's not here?" He repeated "What do you mean he's not here? I only agreed to this because of him"

"I knew you wouldn't come if I told you otherwise"

The man squinted his eyes. 

"You just wasted my time. You just wasted everyone's time with your crap. Don't get in touch with me if Simon won't be here. We're done here"

He gestured to his two men and they started to walk, Tim saw Avery visibly tense as she took a step after them. 

"You know damn well that Simon isn't doing jobs anymore! But I am and if you want that job done, you have me and I'll do it. Just like old times. C'mon"

The man in charge stopped and then turned around to face her. He didn't speak and just scanned her for a few seconds.

"Yeah, If a disaster is what I'm looking for, I'll use you. Everything you touch just bursts into flames. You're on Dave's shit list"

"Everyone's on Dave's shit list, Danny"

The man named Danny let out an amused chuckle before replying.

"Not everyone wrecks his ship. So, yeah, I can't afford disasters. If Dave can keep you on a leash for that, I can't. I just don't have the time nor the resources to play along the trust game, Avery. So, we're done here"

Danny said through gritted teeth, enunciating the last part. Avery said nothing and that honestly surprised Tim more than the deal coming apart. Danny and his men went back to their car and Tim walked over to Avery.

"C'mon. It can't be like that, I'm sure we can come with a solution"

"What solution? They prefer that goddamn coward"

She waved her hand dismissively and walked back to the car. 

"Wait, you can't quit like that"

Tim said, walking after her.

"You got any better ideas? Huh? Because if you have, why don't you enlighten me?!"

She snapped and turned around to look at him. A fire burned in her eyes. Tim's eyebrows shot up as a result, his head shook lightly, not knowing what to say.

"This is all your fault. You and your goddamn issues with the raiders. I knew I should've left you there, done it old-school but what could a little fake crimson raider do? Oh, why, he'd ruin my fucking life!"

"Look, I know.."

"You don't know! Okay?! You don't know! This is not your neck on the line, it's mine!"

Silence followed after that. Tim sighed and she ran a few fingers though her hair, turning her back to him.

"Why are you still here, Tim? Just go"

She said in a softer tone but somehow it still retained all the anger and frustration. Tim's shoulders slumped, letting a breath slowly flow from his lips.

"I'm.. actually on the run, hiding from someone. Someone powerful. And if they find me, I'm pretty sure I'll be wishing death instead"

Tim said, shoving his hands in his pockets. Avery didn't turn around so he continued.

"I.." He sighed, considering the words he was going to use "I don't know why Simon is important and why those guys insisted on having him. I mean.. I think you're quite efficient on your own"

She scoffed as a result, turning around to look at the inviting scenery around them. Tim put a hand on his helmet, thinking of possible outcomes to this. 

"That heist we pulled together. That didn't involve Simon and you did great, Avery. This whole trouble magnet thing is just a bad luck thing. You're not. I don't think you are. I.. I think you're.. amazing.. At what you do"

Tim mentally kicked himself for that. He was getting nervous and the helmet was making the sweating issue worse. Avery turned around and looked at him, a confused expression on her face.

"Amazing?"

Tim's mouth hung open in an effort to fix what he said. Avery awaited a response, tilting her head to the side to watch the flustered body double.

"Uh.. Y-yeah, you were great. You were prepared. I knew right there that I was under professional plans. Just.. Let me help. You've helped me. I know I say this a lot but I just want you to know that it is because of you that I'm alive right now. This Dave issue, I'm sure there's a solution to that. I might have a plan but I would just like to ask you again, let me help you stay alive. Then after that, I'll go and never bother you again"

Tim added a laugh at the end. A nervous one. Avery looked at him for a while, her features significantly softening. He appreciated that.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't of said those things"

"Hey.. It's fine. It is my fault and I take full responsibility for that"

Tim said.

"Well, if you insist. Let's go back"

Avery smiled a little and got in the car. Tim followed, feeling good that turned out better than he expected and got in the car. The drive back was quiet but it was comfortable silence that he enjoyed as he watched the vibrant scenery around him get dull as sand surrounded him once again, but maybe he could find his place here. She stopped the car and got out, flashing him a small smile before slowly walking in. He took a step forward to follow but froze when he heard a familiar voice.

"S'up, pumpkin. You never returned my calls. That kinda makes me annoyed. So.. anyways, let's talk"


	15. On The Spot

Tim could feel his heart drop onto his stomach when he heard that voice. It was always easy to think he was far away from it all when it reality he was just a button away from the ambitious CEO. He had mentally kicked himself for not thinking of hacking the only way of communication Jack had with him and with that maybe he can go radio silent and finally escape once and for all. Everything was so clear and simple while he was that far, he knew that going back to Hyperion would be a mistake that he didn't want to make twice. As he got ready to reply to him, he reminded himself of how he had wished to get away for years and that he shouldn't be foolish to let the chance run by.

"Uh..I was doing my best to get the documents back"

"Forget those. You know, if you didn't do me such a huge favour, I would've sent Wilhelm or Nisha to get you back here to deal with you properly. I mean, is it because of what I said? That I'd mark you? Is that why you're doing this? C'mon, Timmy. We're partners here. Like I said, you gotta look the part"

Jack said, his voice wasn't angry or anything. On the contrary, he was delighted. Tim had a bad feeling about this. He was silent for a while and didn't reply and considered the fact he had used his first name. Jack was in a good mood and that was never a good thing for anyone but him. He thought of just playing along as he pondered over the "huge favour" Jack had mentioned.

"What's the favour?"

"You've given me a shortcut and that's huge. it'll cut my plan short by a few years"

Jack said, his tone still gleeful. Tim considered this, trying to work out what he meant, but as he does this, he became acutely aware that he was close to the door and anyone could've heard him talking. Just the mention of Jack's name could compromise his relationship with Avery and he didn't want that, not when he had made some progress there. He just couldn't risk it. Tim slowly moved away from the door and walked to a nearby mountain. It took him a while to get on top to the cliff with Jack still talking about how happy he was with the new developments. Tim positioned himself on a rock and pulled off his helmet, pleased with the feeling of air brushing against his skin, it felt good. He ran a hand through his hair. It was slick with perspiration. 

"Hey, you still with me?"

"Yeah, does that mean I'm done?"

"Done? Oh, you're far from done, princess. See, I need someone down there to do something for me and you're the man for the job"

"What job?"

"Getting me the Vault key"

"What?"

Tim furrowed his eyebrows, wondering how some Eridium mines turned into a Vault key. The mere mention of the word made his stomach churn with bad memories. Every time he thought he had put the events of the past behind him, things like this pop up and remind him. He gulped hard before offering more questions because Jack hadn't replied nor addressed the silence. It was like he was letting him think about the seemingly great opportunity he'd offer him.

"But I thought we didn't know where the Vault key was. I thought it was hidden. You said Roland hid it from you"

"Well, we didn't. At first. But then YOU let it happen, kiddo. I could kiss ya right now"

"Me?"

Tim's mind raced through the numerous events that have occurred on Pandora to try and tie it to the Vault key's location.

"When you and that chick went to Sanctuary. I knew you were headed there, and I would've arranged for something so I could finally destroy that stupid city. But since now I know the key is with Tannis, the crazy chick, I chose the bigger catch. And now you're gonna go to this marked location and get me that key but don't kill her, I want her to live and tell those stupid Crimson Raiders that it's over for them. Because it's more fun that way"

Jack said. Tim could hear the smile in his voice. He knew exactly which look was on his face right now and it wasn't good. He remembered that moment and instantly felt guilty for letting it happen. His thoughts went to Avery. What would he tell her? She'd kill him. Tim didn't like this, he felt he was in the middle of two gun muzzles pointed straight for his head, each way threatened with certain death.

"You know? I don't like it when you're silent. I keep thinking I lost connection"

Jack said, the smile in his voice had gone since he wasn't discussing murder.

"Can't Wilhelm do it? I mean, he'll do a better job than me and you've sent him on loads of these missions. I'm not as experienced as him and he'll get the job done faster"

"No. It has to be you. You will do it and let her get a good look at that pretty face of yours so she remembers it clearly. But don't let the face be the only reminder, feel free to roughen her up a little"

"But I can't. I don't th-"

Tim tried to say but he was cut off by Jack, the CEO's tone becoming stern, indicating his patience was growing thin with every extra word that wasn't a direct word of compliance.

"No, you won't argue with me on this one. You will do it and I will expect results as soon as possible. I'm keeping an eye on you. Just because you're not on Helios you think you can talk back to me and question my orders? I try to be civil with you people but you just keep pushing me and pushing me. Look, are you gonna do this or do I have to play dirty? And you don't want me to start playing dirty because you know how dirty I can get"

Tim paused. Was that a threat? No, it can't be. What more could he threaten him with? His life? It was the only thing he had left and on the past few weeks, he found a part of him not caring if he did lose it. Then it hit him, he wasn't talking about him. He was talking about her. And then soon the confirmation followed, filling in the silence uncomfortably.

"That girl you've been hanging out with. She's nice, right?"

"Jack, she has nothing to do with this"

"Oh? Feels like I'm getting somewhere with this. Why do you even care what happens to her? You barely know her. You know what's wrong with you, Timmy? You get attached too easily. First it was that AI and now this chick. See, that's what kills you. You need to rely on me and then yourself, because I know what's good for ya"

He found himself remembering the lengths Jack would go to secure his wishes. He was annoyed that Jack had mentioned Felicity. The unease and regret of what happened to her resurfaced painfully in his chest. Tim knew whatever he told himself, he'd always take the blame for what happened with her. He helped in destroying her, deleting her memory and making her a machine ready to obey Jack's destructive wishes without questioning an order. He knew he was a coward. He let it happen and didn't try to stop it. He was a coward. He still is a coward.

"Okay.."

He said in a low voice that was close to a whisper. 

"What was that?"

"I'll do it. I'll get you that key.."

"I knew you'd come to your senses. Now you know I'm keeping my eye on you. I expect progress soon. Now we'll do this little info exchange soon when you have the key for me. Buh-bye now"

It was now silent when Jack hung up. Tim looked up at Helios and it was like the giant space station was looking back at him. He knew Jack was watching him and he just chastised himself for forgetting that. He sucked in a deep breath and covered his face with his hands, there wasn't a lot of things to do other than torture a woman for a key he didn't care about. But one thing was for sure, he wasn't going to let Jack hurt another helpless person. Never again.

"Hey, you"

The words came from behind him. They were as soft as the wind blowing through his surgically modified brown locks. He wanted to turn around to look but remembered how his face looked like and quickly put the helmet back on.

"Heh, I should've just remain quiet"

Avery added with a small laugh and stepped closer to Tim, sitting next to him on the large rock. He looked down, feeling ashamed of what he was going to do. Even though she couldn't see his face, he still couldn't bring himself to look at her.

"I mean, you obviously hide your face for a reason and I'll respect your privacy even though I'm curious."

He didn't reply and knew she'd sense something when he remained quiet and didn't face her. He was just thinking about what she was doing here. Did she follow him? He should've been careful. But it was like she read his thoughts.

"I didn't follow you if that's what you're thinking. This is where I come to relax and have a few hours to myself. I used to come here from time to time but lately I've been coming more than usual. It just feels.. "

"Peaceful?"

Tim said. The first words he spoke since she came here. He lifted his head to look at her but her eyes weren't on him, they were either on the sky or Helios.

"Yeah. Peaceful"

She cooed. Tim didn't know if it was because of her special spot or something else, but she seemed more gentle. He found himself looking at her since he wouldn't get caught stealing glances at her. Sometimes he'd be thankful he was wearing a helmet because it would hide how stupid he would get around women. She had let her hair down and moved with the occasional breeze. She had a harsh kind of beauty, it was like this planet. Every inch of it looked cruel and dangerous but the occasional beauty that he'd sometimes catch on Jack's various screens was undeniably breathtaking, it just needed someone to focus on it.

"Do you like it here?"

She asked him and now turned to face him, he was already facing her. The helmet in between them.

"You mean on Pandora or this place?"

"Pandora"

"Well, Pandora is okay, it would be more than okay if people didn't shoot at me"

"It just how it is here. If they aren't shooting, they're eating each other. At least that's what the rats and psychos do"

Tim made a face at that fact but somehow Avery found humour in it and laughed. That tugged a smile at his lips, but soon her laugh died down as quick as it had come out.

"You should go, Tim"

She repeated what they had spoken of a few hours ago but in a much calmer manner. He frowned, thinking they were over that and wanted to reply, but she was much faster.

"It's just that I had the chance to think about it. Dave is dangerous and considering what happened today, it's not looking too good for me. I'd hate to drag you two along this road. You're..."

She trailed off, letting a soft sigh flow out of her lips. Tim had lots of things to say but felt like she had more to say, he decided to let her finish.

"Look, I know I've said mean things to you and they're only half true. But you're just not like everyone else. It's like you're not from here. You don't fit in and you're not cut out for this. This place stinks of blood, smoke and cruelness and your place is not in the middle of it"

Tim exhaled, only making the inside of the helmet more humid. She obviously blamed herself for him staying here. He wished he could make her feel better and wondered how he'd do so, but he knew that soon he'd have to leave. Leave her and Simon in that stench. He felt his chest get heavy as he thought of Felicity but shook his head to try and forget it. Suddenly Avery's head leaned on his shoulder, her eyes were closed and her hair flowed on her face, obscuring it from him. It was then that he noticed the bottle of beer held loosely in her hand before slipping from her fingers to land on the rocks below. The sound made her shuffle but still her head was on his shoulder. It somewhat bothered him that she was drunk and didn't say those words to him while sober but then again, they had to have some truth. At least he liked to think so. His hand hesitantly hovered over her head, wanting to touch her but wondering if he was stepping over some boundaries if he did. Deciding that ultimately it would be okay, his shaky hand found steadiness when it settled on her head, his fingers getting tangled in her locks. It felt good and different. His hand gently brushing away the hair from her face so he could look at it. She looked as peaceful as this place. Tim wished he could preserve that peace but knew that for peace to exist, there had to be war.


End file.
